Boise Police unveil 10-year strategic plan, target staffing increase to 1.8 officers per 1,000

Boise Police Chief Dennison on Thursday presented a 10-year strategic plan that sets five priorities — uphold community trust, invest in personnel, advance safe policing, modernize infrastructure and build organizational strength — and identifies staffing and performance targets intended to guide budget requests and operations over the coming decade.

Chief Dennison said the plan is data-driven and meant to create a road map for resource requests so the department can clearly justify needs in the budget cycle. "When we built the strategic plan, we had engagement from 285 participants," he said, noting that staff, city partners, residents and leaders contributed to objectives organized under the five priorities.

The department reported recent operational trends: Boise’s population is approaching 250,000; traffic volume is up about 4.5% (ITD data cited by the chief); officer-initiated activity is up 21%; overall officer workload is up about 8%; and part I crimes — the chief listed homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft — were down about 18%, driven largely by reductions in property crime.

The plan includes both short- and long-term deliverables. Short-term examples include assigning executive sponsors and project leads for strategic priorities and finalizing a facilities master plan in spring 2026; longer-term goals include expanding specialty units (bike unit expansion targeted by 2027), establishing a real-time crime center by 2030 and embedding resiliency training for new employees by 2029.

On staffing, Chief Dennison said the department currently operates at about 1.355 officers per 1,000 residents and is targeting 1.8 per 1,000 as a planning benchmark. He also said the department has set a patrol floor of 125 deployable officers and expects to be at that floor in January, noting recent approvals for six additional FTEs and ongoing recruitment efforts.

Council members asked how staffing targets account for the Treasure Valley’s daytime population and visitors. The chief said staff modeled for a broader service area and referenced a Treasure Valley population estimate of roughly 877,000 when assessing comparators. He said performance indicators — response times, clearance rates and other metrics — will be monitored and reported to council annually, and that demand-based staffing and a shift change are planned for March 2026.

Council also asked about technology priorities. The chief said the department has explored drones-as-first-responder programs and uses drones operationally but cited airport airspace limitations; he identified automated license-plate readers (ALPR) as a higher near-term priority for crime-fighting than drones.

The chief framed the plan as adaptable, to be revisited annually and adjusted if service demands or crime trends change.