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Council debates police staffing as chief reports increased call-taking and recruits
Summary
Chief Oliver reported increased coverage hours, 105 self-initiated contacts and four applicants for an open night-shift position; councilors asked for comparisons to similarly sized towns while some residents questioned the need for additional officers.
Police Chief Oliver updated the council on February activity and staffing. He said February had at least one shift covered every day, produced 105 self-initiated contacts and 53 incident reports, and that the department had interviewed four applicants for an open night-shift position; two candidates had prior experience.
"We had our first interview today. We have 3 more by the end of the week," the chief reported. He said some candidates would require sponsorship for academy completion while others had prior training.
Councilors asked for comparative data from towns of similar population and for a paper that showed 'apple-to-apple' comparisons of staffing levels. One council member questioned whether an extra officer was necessary given long-term declines in population and crime; the chief and staff argued increased local coverage has led to more reports and improved service compared with reliance on county responses.
The FY2025–26 budget adopted the staffing and wage provisions staff recommended; councilors asked staff to provide comparative materials so members could evaluate the staffing need with benchmarks from neighboring jurisdictions.
The council did not change staffing policy at the meeting; staff will follow up with requested comparisons and candidate selection timelines.
