Englewood Police detail staffing, technology investments and plans to quantify alternative-policing spending

Chief Dave Jackson told the Budget Advisory Committee that the Englewood Police Department is actively rebuilding sworn staffing and pursuing several technology and program changes — including body-worn cameras, in-car computers and continued use of license-plate‑reading technology — while working with the committee to better quantify how voter-directed alternative-policing funds are used.

“I've inherited a really, really good police department. It's a great problem to have,” Chief Dave Jackson said during his first presentation to the committee since taking the job in November.

Jackson said the department listed about 35 full‑time sworn positions and reported roughly 32 currently filled; the department swore in one officer the morning of the meeting and expected additional academy graduates in the coming weeks. He reported personnel-savings returns of roughly $463,000 to the fund in 2024 and said the department returned about $500,000 total to the General Fund after year‑end adjustments.

On crime and operations, Jackson reported increased enforcement activity: “arrests against society” rose about 58% year over year (driven by drug- and quality-of-life enforcement) and total crime arrests increased about 25%. He also said Englewood’s auto-theft incidents have fallen 12% even as Colorado has seen high rates statewide.

Technology and capital needs were a major focus. Jackson said the department’s stationary and mobile Flock Safety cameras (10 stationary, two flex cameras) retain 30 days of plate-read data; the department recorded roughly 2.5 million plate reads in a recent 30‑day period and noted about 66,666 actionable hits across categories such as stolen vehicles and warrants. Jackson and staff said Flock data is shared regionally with neighboring jurisdictions for investigations.

Jackson said the department expects body‑worn camera replacement and program costs of about $1.3 million over five years and is reviewing how to budget those costs (bond premium, capital improvement program, or General Fund). He also said about $2 million in bond premium is available citywide, with about $1.3 million already encumbered for renovation of the Fox Building to create storage and workspace for SWAT and other units. Mobile data terminals and vehicle-computer replacements were noted as other near-term capital needs.

The committee discussed the “alternative policing” portion of the voter-directed sales-tax increase and asked for clearer, more public-facing metrics. Jackson, Deputy Chief Ben Federer and budget staff said they will provide a more transparent breakdown for the committee and public by the June meeting, which may include estimated hours, FTE‑equivalents, caseloads or other caseload/metric options that link staff time and program activity to the voter intent. Deputy Chief Federer described co‑responder and MRU (mobile response unit) activities as part of that mix; the police case resource manager, Emily Van Haake, was identified as a licensed clinician who handles victim services and outreach and who participated in the “Handle With Care” notifications to schools (about 370 student notifications last year).

Jackson also described operational challenges: recruiting and retaining officers amid rising regional pay (he cited local jurisdictions changing pay quickly), unfunded mandates such as required training hours, equipment life-cycle costs (ballistic vests, shields) and the administrative burden tied to technology migrations if the department changes vendors for in-car and body cameras.

Committee members and staff urged a simple, easily communicated annual report showing how alternative-policing dollars were spent and what they funded. The department agreed to return to the committee with a revised spreadsheet and suggested metrics so the committee can say whether the funds were used for the intended purposes when it reports to Council and the public.

Ending: The department will deliver a revised alternative-policing spreadsheet and proposed metrics to the committee ahead of the June meeting; police staff said they welcome feedback on what metrics are most useful for public transparency.