Charlton police budget hearing: cloud storage for body cameras and cruiser leases drive costs

The finance committee heard an extended review of public‑safety operational needs, with the police chief reporting strong staffing and maintenance performance but flagging technology and capital pressures.

The chief said the department is "fully staffed" and that regional dispatching remains under consideration and will take time to implement. He described a leasing pilot for cruisers — three vehicles currently on short‑term leases — chosen carefully so warranties and mileage limits are preserved.

On technology, the committee discussed body‑worn cameras and cloud storage. Officials said grants bought initial camera hardware but that cloud storage and discovery obligations are the major recurring expense. Committee materials list Axon cloud and software costs totaling roughly $25,600 in the police budget package. The chief described a safety feature of the vendor system: "If you pull out your firearm, it immediately records whether you want it to or not," a capability that preserves a short pre‑event buffer for incidents.

The chief also outlined growing operational costs tied to investigations (forensic tools, fingerprint equipment and ATM‑skimmer detection devices) and a projected need for additional staff if the schools move forward with a shared School Resource Officer (SRO) arrangement — the schools would be expected to share salary cost if they approve the position.

The committee did not vote on new police operating appropriations at the hearing; members asked staff to supply firm quotes for recurring cloud storage costs and to detail capital timing for cruiser replacements so the finance committee can incorporate those expenses into the FY27 capital plan.