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Carbondale police seek electric patrol vehicles, chargers and mental-health partnership in 2026 budget
Summary
Police Chief outlined multiple budget requests including three electric patrol vehicles and upfitting; stubbed EV chargers and pending state grants; a $90,000 Aspen Hope contract for crisis clinicians; increased academy and training costs; replacement tasers/radio upgrades; and software for analytics and reporting.
Chief presented a multi-part budget request for the police department at the Oct. 28 meeting, asking trustees to consider capital and operating investments to sustain staffing and improve services.
The department reported 10 sworn officers with three vacancies, one recruit in academy training and a conditional offer to a certified officer. The chief said $75,000 that the town previously allocated was used to prepare the department’s charging infrastructure; conduit and wiring are in place and the department has pending awards of $35,000 each from the Colorado Fleet grant and the Charge Ahead program to install chargers. The chief told trustees that three electric patrol vehicles are expected soon and the department is seeking supplemental funding of $254,755 to purchase and upfit three additional electric patrol units; upfitting costs are higher than civilian vehicles due to specialized police electronics and radar systems.
The chief also requested $90,000 to continue a contract with Aspen Hope for 24/7 crisis clinician coverage (45-minute response target) and described how Aspen Hope is expanding contracts to provide emergency-room and wrap-around services in the region. Other budget items included an additional $25,000 to cover academy tuition and out-of-area training if Colorado Mountain College’s academy does not immediately re-open, $7,000 toward replacement tasers (new device pricing), radio replacements phased over five years, a $6,000 software subscription for analytics and reporting to meet state reporting requirements and expanded physical-wellness screening costs.
Trustees praised the SRO’s (school resource officer’s) community programs, including a cooking class at Bridges High School, and asked about regional procurement and shared equipment purchases. The chief said the department is improving retention and recruiting officers who have previously left the department.
