Hurricane police seek funding for traffic officer, training and equipment as staffing and program priorities shift

Police Chief Gates told the Hurricane City Council at a budget meeting that the police department is asking the city to budget for a single traffic officer, multiple equipment purchases, and targeted training and staffing costs while the department holds off on broader new hires until January 2026.

The traffic officer request is aimed at addressing what Gates called the department’s top community complaint: high-speed and dangerous driving on State Street and other corridors. Gates said roughly 32,000 vehicles use SR‑9 daily and cited 2024 enforcement totals of 937 speeding citations and 80 DUIs as context for the request. The chief told the council he is asking for one traffic officer this year, with a possible second position later if call volume rises.

Gates said the department is also asking for equipment to improve investigations and officer safety. That list includes temporary and fixed license‑plate readers obtained through a one‑time grant for hardware, plus an ongoing service cost the department estimates at about $9,000 per year; less‑lethal launchers (requested to equip each on‑duty sergeant); replacement training simulators that use airsoft projectiles to reduce costs and cleanup; and two Ford police interceptors and a Chevy Tahoe for K‑9 use to replace current Ford Expedition vehicles the department said have been costly to maintain.

The chief described a recruitment-and-training plan to limit long-term costs: the city has offered to reimburse the second (LEO) block of a police academy for recruits who complete field training. Gates said that portion of the academy reimbursement is about $3,000 and will be paid only after an officer finishes field training, and that conditional offer letters require repayment of those training costs if the recruit fails to complete required training.

Gates told the council the department may delay adding two full patrol officers in the budget year and instead “hold off till January, see where we’re at, see if there is a need” before hiring. He explained the approach as proactive budgeting given uncertain call‑volume trends; he said calls were down about 7% year‑to‑date at the time of the meeting.

On department programs, Gates recommended pausing the DARE classroom program for now because the department lacks the stable staffing and a dedicated officer to teach it. He described DARE as valuable but said recent state rules requiring school resource officers to remain assigned to their schools limit the department’s ability to rotate SROs into classroom instruction. “I definitely don't want to just forget about it,” Gates said, but added the department needs staffing sufficient to maintain core patrol coverage before restoring DARE.

Separately, Gates described a plan to bring victim‑advocacy work in‑house using grant funding. The department proposes converting a current part‑time employee, Britney Wright (who has started training), into a grant‑funded full‑time victim’s advocate, and said outside agencies that previously provided the service had not met the city’s needs. Gates said the grant requires a full‑time victim’s advocate and that Springdale has asked to join the proposed local grant arrangement.

Chief Gates also identified operating savings he expects next year: a dispatch billing method change will move costs away from population-based formulas and toward usage (call and radio activity), and the department expects lower ammunition and on‑call pay costs because of increased night‑shift sergeant coverage. The department proposed several modest capital items for animal control and the shelter — a replacement printer (about $250), a field microchip scanner for one vehicle, cameras for the shelter, binoculars for field work, and routine vehicle reassignments to avoid buying new transport vehicles.

Councilmember Kevin Rogers and others asked about safeguards for academy reimbursements and about the department’s methods for screening recruits. Gates explained the city uses written and scenario testing up front and that, in his experience, most training failures occur during field training rather than the academy itself. He described red flags used in hiring — report writing, multitasking, and interpersonal skills — and urged ride‑alongs as a way for applicants to test the job.

Gates closed by saying the department will track outcomes and return to the council in January if call volume or other data justify additional hires. The council did not take a vote during the presentation; the department’s budget requests will be considered in the ongoing budget process.