West Chester police outline 2026 budget needs, detail enforcement of high‑profile dog‑sale incident

Chief Josh Lee presented the West Chester Police Department’s August 2025 monthly report and a preview of the department’s 2026 budget to the borough’s Public Safety & Quality of Life Committee. Lee said the department saw upticks in alcohol‑related nuisance calls and noise complaints in August, largely concentrated in the southeast quadrant, and described a social‑work co‑response program he said is handling more than the eight calls coded as mental‑health calls that month.

“Jamie Weiss, our social worker, is doing a fantastic job,” Lee said, noting that Weiss has followed up on 20 to 30 additional calls per week as a co‑responder. Lee said the social‑work position, added earlier this year, has already helped the department to expand options for response and follow up.

Lee addressed a high‑profile weekend incident in which officers investigated complaints that a person was offering dogs for sale in the Central Business District. The chief said officers identified and cited the individual for multiple violations, including leash‑law and disorderly conduct charges, and pursued additional charges after consulting with the SPCA and the district attorney. “Officers did remain on scene for a period of time, for hours,” Lee said, and the suspect was later incarcerated on other charges.

On staffing and operations, Lee said the department’s authorized sworn strength has been 44 officers since the mid‑1990s. At the time of his presentation the department had five active vacancies caused by resignations or injuries, and three officers were out on injury. Lee said the department filled many of those gaps with overtime: he reported roughly $49,000 in 2024 personnel costs to backfill vacancies caused by on‑duty injury and about $98,000–$99,000 in 2024 costs to backfill mandatory training positions.

Lee asked the committee to consider an additional authorized officer (moving the authorized complement from 44 to 45) to reduce recurring overtime and backfill pressures. He outlined limited capital requests for 2026, including replacement of the department’s handgun/sighting systems (approximately $35,000 after trade‑ins), an all‑terrain vehicle for special events (about $45,000), and upfitting for four vehicles (approximately $95,000). He also said the borough expects to cover a continuing body‑camera and in‑car camera project that year; Lee estimated the project cost at about $145,000 for the year with approximately $125,000 in grant revenue offsetting that amount.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about historical call volumes and the costs of backfilling vacancies. Lee said the number of calls for service has risen gradually over decades and that the department is doing more work with the same authorized staffing level than in prior decades. He closed by thanking staff who compile budgeting data and by inviting further questions during the borough’s budget process.