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Police report: Willard officers report arrests and urge staffing to improve 24‑hour coverage
Summary
The police department reported arrests — including aggravated‑assault suspects and a fentanyl trafficking arrest — and discussed staffing, vehicle assignments and officer safety concerns tied to limited backup in South Willard.
Unidentified Speaker 6 presented April policing statistics, reporting arrests for aggravated assault and a separate narcotics arrest involving fentanyl in Wheeler. Council members thanked the department for those arrests and requested a breakdown of operations inside South Willard to help quantify regional support needs.
Staff described current staffing as a part‑time detective, a part‑time patrol officer, an administrative assistant and a part‑time evidence technician. The department and council discussed moving to more full‑time coverage (a potential new full‑time officer) to reduce reliance on deputies and highway patrol. Unidentified Speaker 8 stressed officer safety and noted several incidents where Willard officers arrived before county deputies.
Vehicle assignments and sharing were discussed alongside staffing: the council debated reassigning an underutilized newer truck to police use, rotating older high‑mileage vehicles, or paying mileage reimbursement for personal‑vehicle use when appropriate. Staff noted state law requires certified officers to drive police vehicles, which affects plans to share vehicles across duties.
No personnel hires were finalized; the council directed staff to return with revenue and staffing cost estimates as part of the tentative budget follow‑up.
