Police merger credited with increased patrols, council told — department adds officers and grant funding

City officials updated the council on the recent merger-related changes to the police department, staffing increases, grant awards and enforcement activity.

Staff reported the merger has allowed expanded patrol presence and grant-funded positions. According to the update, the city secured multiple grants that the presenter described as roughly $150,000 plus another grant of about $30,000 (these amounts were given conversationally in the meeting). Staff said DUI enforcement shifts have increased, officers are making more traffic stops and that overtime for enforcement activity has risen accordingly. The department reported 15 applicants for a recent officer vacancy and said two full‑time officers were hired from that pool, with one starting at the end of the year and the other expected to start in August; the department also hired additional part‑time officers, including a female part‑time officer from the recent hiring pool.

Council members and staff noted a marked rise in calls for service compared with the previous year. The presenter said combined calls for the area of Fairview and Mount Pleasant rose from roughly 56 calls during the comparable period the prior year to about 150 calls this year, an increase the presenter described as roughly three times the prior total and about a 100% increase overall.

The presenter described active enforcement during the July 4 period and other busy times, noting arrests made at the rodeo event and also said the department is moving to update badges, patches and vehicle markings to reflect the merged department. No formal personnel actions or budget votes were recorded in the transcript; staffing changes were described as hires from applicant pools and internal staffing decisions.