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Dallas leaders hear plan to recruit 300 police officers; officials flag $10 million near‑term budget gap
Summary
City staff briefed the Dallas City Council on a proposal to increase police recruiting to 300 officers this fiscal year, describing retention incentives and recruiting gains while warning of a roughly $10 million cumulative budget gap to fund the expansion without additional offsets or grants.
Interim Police Chief Mike Igoe told the Dallas City Council on Feb. 19 that he will seek approval to recruit 300 officers in the current fiscal year as part of a phased approach to growing the department.
Igoe said the goal balances immediate workforce needs with fiscal responsibility: "I'm gonna propose the hiring of 300 officers for this fiscal year," he said during the briefing, and asked the council to back the step as a strategic, measurable next phase.
The council was presented data by Martin Rios Jr., a city finance director supporting the department, who said departmental incentives and recruiting changes have increased class sizes and reduced overtime. Rios said, "we are using less overtime hours, 9.3% less than last year," and described a current-year operating shortfall tied to higher-than-budgeted headcount: "Our current financial gap is $5,400,000," he said, and projected the cumulative cost of moving from the budgeted hiring goal to 300 officers at about $10,000,000.
Why it matters: Dallas Police Department (DPD) leaders said more sworn officers would aim to improve response times and…
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