Westminster police present roughly $46 million 2025 budget; emphasis on technology, accreditation and officer wellness

Police Chief Norm Haubert presented the Westminster Police Department’s 2025 operating priorities and budget at the March 3 study session, outlining a reorganization into three divisions and a slate of investments intended to strengthen patrol deployment, technology and department accreditation.

Haubert described the department as the city’s largest, with reorganization in recent years that placed operational and specialized units under two deputy chiefs and centralized some administrative functions. In a corrected slide during the presentation staff showed the department budget at roughly $46 million for the fiscal year cited.

Why it matters: The police budget drives patrol staffing, technology tools and long‑term investments that affect response times, traffic enforcement and major investigations. Haubert stressed both officer wellness and modern tools — including body cameras, license‑plate reader cameras and computer‑aided dispatch — as vital to the department’s work.

Key items and metrics presented: Haubert described the department’s three divisions — administration, operations and specialized services — and the work of each. Highlights included:

- Operations and patrol: The police operations division handles patrol, traffic enforcement and special events; the chief said the division included about 68 employees in the 2025 budget year and that leadership is reviewing shift deployments against data on call volumes. - Technology and contracts: The department’s major recurring contracts include Axon (body cameras/tasers) and Central Square (computer‑aided dispatch and records management). Haubert described other technology investments such as license‑plate readers and a newly contracted option to send some DNA testing to an Adams County lab to reduce turnaround times (staff cited current delays at some state labs). He also said the department purchased a speed‑detection trailer to support neighborhood speed education and enforcement; the trailer was expected to arrive soon. - Mental‑health response and co‑responders: Haubert and PRL staff highlighted the department’s crisis co‑responder model and the city’s navigator program (covered elsewhere in the meeting), which work to keep behavioral‑health calls from escalating and to connect people to services. - Employee wellness and accreditation: Haubert said mandatory mental‑health checks and an expanded wellness program were priorities, and he said the department plans to pursue reaccreditation with state and national accreditation bodies (the latter is usually a multi‑year effort). - Specialized teams and equipment: The department has four K‑9 teams plus a canine supervisor; SWAT and equipment replacement needs were cited; some capital outlays (night‑vision optics, ballistic helmets, etc.) were described as periodic one‑time purchases.

Chief Haubert framed outreach and engagement as part of public safety: “When people know us, they don’t know me as, ‘Hey — that’s a cop.’ They know me as Norm,” he said, describing community policing and public affairs efforts. Councilors asked for additional data on enforcement trends (speeding, street racing, burglaries and retail theft) and explored whether more targeted patrols in business districts or additional officers during peak hours would improve public safety. Haubert said the department is examining deployment with the city’s new data analyst and would return with analysis.

Ending: Staff said operational follow‑ups and budgetary questions would be addressed in upcoming budget discussions; council requested additional detail on staffing trade‑offs and options to increase patrol presence in targeted commercial corridors.