Sandy council approves $300,000 from contingency for one officer and department equipment

Councilors voted to transfer $300,000 from the general contingency to the police department to hire one additional sworn officer and to purchase department-wide safety equipment, including body-worn cameras and tasers.

Police Chief Husky, who has served three months in the role, told council the department is understaffed and that adding personnel and equipment would improve officer and public safety. "It's very obvious to me that we are understaffed to properly and safely do our job," the chief said, citing time-off, training and emergency-response gaps.

The staffing study recommended multiple positions and retention measures; the chief said equipment needs (particularly body-worn cameras) were an urgent priority and that equipping officers for take-home vehicles should be considered. Council debate weighed buying all recommended equipment and hiring multiple FTEs immediately against a phased approach. Several councilors proposed funding a single hire plus one-time equipment purchases to address the most urgent shortfalls without committing to long-term recurring costs.

Councilor Walker moved to allocate $300,000 from contingency; Councilor Sheldon seconded. The motion—intended to fund one additional officer (estimated annual personnel cost of about $147,000) and one-time equipment costs (about $142,000)—carried unanimously.

Staff said the equipment purchase is largely a one-time buy and that long-term staffing costs will be addressed in future budgets. The council also discussed a grant-funded community resource officer IGA (with the county) that would cover most vehicle acquisition costs for that position.