Acting police chief urges council to keep staffing and fund records, body‑camera support in FY26 budget

Acting Chief Derek Belong told the City Council budget committee that the Police Department is recruiting more officers under a new Massachusetts hiring pathway and asked the council to preserve funding to reach a 230‑officer complement while the department continues to manage staffing shortages and rising public‑records demands.

Belong said the FY26 proposed budget includes $150,000 for sign‑on bonuses intended to recruit up to 30 officers toward a funded complement of 230. He said the department currently has 204 sworn officers and expects nine recruits to start in the academy this fall and additional hires in background checks that should bring the force closer to 220 in early 2026.

Belong stressed that the department has “rolled out” body‑worn cameras in September 2024 and that the cameras have increased public‑records workload. He told councilors the department requested a full‑time staff position to handle public‑records requests related to body‑worn camera footage and an associate solicitor (budgeted at $94,213) to provide daily legal support to the department.

Why it matters: Councilors pressed Belong on how the department will control overtime, handle technology and legal workload, and whether new hiring…