Chief urges promotion process and flags staffing strain as development grows

Chief Scott Fogel told the Board the department roster is back to 12 officers but several staff are either in field training or out sick, leaving fewer officers available for road coverage and increasing overtime demands.

Fogel described the planned promotional process for sergeant — a written exam, interviews and possibly scenario work — and asked the Board’s permission to order study materials and tests so candidates can begin preparing. The Board authorized the Chief to order the reading materials and test literature so the promotion process can start.

Supervisors pressed for financial context before committing to additional staffing. Janet Sheats asked for a thorough review of the proposed process and for historical overtime totals; David Hess and others asked for the overtime hours and costs to compare against alternatives such as hiring additional officers or part‑time staffing. Fogel said staffing studies conducted previously supported additional personnel but noted studies typically recommend more staff; he emphasized operational constraints that limit moving a current sergeant fully into detective duties without harming road coverage.

Board members also discussed growth pressures: speakers noted recent and planned housing developments that will increase service demand. The Board requested that the police department provide an overtime and cost analysis and a clearer projection of the cost to add an officer to the regular roster ahead of future budget deliberations.

The Board’s immediate action was procedural: authorize procurement of promotional testing materials and to allow officers to begin studying; no hiring decisions were made at the meeting.