Owensboro Police Department balanced training needs and street staffing; chief reports eight vacancies

Owensboro Police Chief Art Elam told the commission the police department's proposed budget includes pay adjustments and two new positions to support the Owensboro Police Academy, while the department continues to operate below authorized strength.

"We are currently 8 officers down with, a ninth that is scheduled to I think he, leave on May," Chief Elam said during the departmental presentation, adding five recruits are in the academy and are not yet available for street duty. The chief said the department handled 92 major collisions last year and conducted 39 polygraphs for criminal or pre-employment examinations.

Elam said the budget increase for the department reflects the citywide pay increase and annual step raises and includes capital purchases such as a Trimble X9 3-D scanner for accident reconstruction and a replacement Lafayette polygraph machine.

Commissioners pressed on staffing levels and workload. One commissioner noted preliminary calculations showing Owensboro at about 1.82 officers per 1,000 residents and compared that to a peer average around 2.48 per 1,000, prompting discussion of whether additional field positions are needed to match public expectations for patrol and event coverage.

Elam described the academy pipeline: a 23-week academy followed by a police-training-officer period of roughly 16 to 20 weeks before new hires are released to solo patrol. He and other commissioners said the city may look at adding positions mid-year if vacancies persist and resources permit.

No formal action was taken during the presentation.