Annapolis police union urges bigger training budget, faster reimbursements and steadier vehicle replacements

Officer Thomas Wolfolk, lead union shop steward for Local 400 of the Annapolis Police Department, told the Finance Standing Committee on May 5 that rank-and-file officers want more training, faster reimbursements for training expenses and more consistent vehicle and equipment processes.

Wolfolk said training “is a huge thing” and described his view that the department’s training budget is small compared with other needs. “Sometimes it’s taken officers upwards of a month,” he said of reimbursement delays, and added he personally experienced “a 3 month waiting period” to be reimbursed for training expenses.

The committee’s chair, Alderman Huntley, called the reimbursement timeline “exactly the kind of thing that I wanted to hear” and asked the finance director to investigate. Finance director Jacky Homme said she had not previously been aware of the three-month examples and had made a note to determine why the delays are occurring.

Wolfolk also raised equipment and vehicles as priorities. He described problems with mobile data terminals and other on-car technology that cause downtime, and asked for clearer rules on how vehicles are evaluated for replacement and how replacements are distributed. “Our cars are essentially our office,” he said, noting that small, recurring failures—printers not working during a traffic stop or intermittent siren problems—can have operational effects.

Committee members pressed on whether the department’s vehicle life-expectancy assumptions remain appropriate. Alderman O’Neil and others discussed whether the city should adjust replacement timetables given modern vehicle longevity and heavier operational use for police and public-works fleets.

On the idea of creating a paid auxiliary force to supplement sworn officers, Wolfolk said there could be some benefit but cautioned that small numbers would not produce a big effect and that the city may get more value from hiring additional full-service sworn officers. Committee members and Wolfolk discussed tradeoffs including overtime impacts and whether an auxiliary force should be paid to ensure reliability.

The committee asked staff to follow up on reimbursement timelines and to report back about any specific procurement or vendor bottlenecks that slow equipment delivery. No formal budget changes or contract awards were decided at the meeting.

Ending: The committee recessed for other agenda items after asking city staff to investigate reimbursement timing, equipment procurement delays and vehicle-life assumptions; members said those follow-ups should inform upcoming budget deliberations.