Public Safety Committee approves minutes; police, fire give staffing, facilities and arson-canine updates

The Public Safety Committee convened in November 2025, approved the previous meeting minutes by voice vote, and heard reports from police and fire representatives on staffing, facility projects and a recently awarded canine arson-detection grant.

Police Chief (speaker S3) told the committee the department's sworn roster had dipped to 152 officers from about 163 recently and said the department hopes to hire roughly five more officers within the next month. "We're at 152 right now," the chief said, adding that the department uses staffing buffers in each unit and that coverage remains "manageable." He also confirmed the department's budgeted headcount is 173 sworn officers.

The chief described several operational and capital items under way: he said staff will discuss a firearms procurement package with finance in November to acquire the same gun and optics together (a potential cost and time saver), the department will begin final-design meetings with architects for a new Public Safety Building and anticipates some interior demolition to create an empty shell for fit-out, and the department will revise its policy manual over the next roughly six months to improve readability and public access. He also said a take-home vehicle program is being expanded to reduce maintenance costs and support morale, and announced a December toy drive at South Ridge with partners including Sam's and Chick-fil-A to increase visibility versus previous locations.

Representatives from the fire department (speakers S6 and S2) briefed the committee on hiring and operations. A fire representative said the department is conducting hiring examinations and expects to hire a new group of recruits after the new year; the first eight candidates on the current list are already paramedics and would need only EMS refreshers before completing fire training. The fire representative said station renovations are active at Station 2 (West Side) and Station 4 (Oak Ridge Drive), with temporary relocations to the Lee Street building and Station 1 to maintain coverage while work proceeds. He said those renovation phases are expected to be completed on a roughly six- to 12-month rolling schedule and that Station 1 should be able to run a unit during its work.

The fire department also reported equipment and operational updates: a rescue boat is expected to be delivered between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, and staff will attend trials shortly before delivery. A department official (S2) said the city received an ATF grant to support an accelerant-detection canine; the official said there were more than 900 applicants for the program and 18 recipients nationwide and described the canine as certified on about 375 types of accelerants. "There were only 18 chosen in the whole country," the official said.

On activity and incidents, the fire official reported 1,746 department-wide calls for service in the most recent month (as of 04:00 on the reporting day), 10 structure fires during that period, 16 occupants trapped or rescued from structures (11 of whom were transported to the hospital) and three firefighters who were injured at scenes but did not require long-term hospitalization. The official also reported an ongoing investigation of a suspect captured on camera who the department says is connected to multiple burnings in other jurisdictions, including Cabell County and the city of Huntington, and said the department is working with the state fire marshal and a federal agency to pursue the case.

Committee members asked whether bridge closures and temporary unit shuffles affected response times. The fire representative said the department adjusted response areas and did not see a major impact but noted coordination with DOH on closure phases and communication was sometimes inconsistent. The fire representative described using alternate river crossings (Southside Bridge, Patrick Street Bridge and 35th Street Bridge) during closures to maintain coverage.

Procedurally, the committee approved the minutes from the prior meeting by voice vote; the transcript records members saying "aye," but does not provide a numerical roll call. The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn.

The committee did not record or discuss any ordinances or binding policy adoptions during this session; most items were operational updates or informational reports. The departments listed several near-term items (hiring cohorts, procurement timing, demolition and renovation schedules, the toy drive and boat delivery) that will return to staff or future committee updates.