Police chief seeks civilian municipal safety officers and more sworn staff for downtown response

The police department asked the council to consider a mix of civilian and sworn hires to augment downtown engagement and maintain patrol capacity.

Chief Anderson described a multi‑pronged approach: add one full‑time community service officer devoted to code enforcement, hire two municipal (non‑sworn, unarmed) safety officers to serve as downtown ambassadors and navigators for people experiencing homelessness and merchants, and add four sworn police officers to replenish patrol capacity diverted to downtown response teams. Anderson said municipal safety officers would wear non‑police uniforms, not carry firearms or badges, and would focus on connecting people to services and preventing low‑level incidents from escalating.

The chief framed the proposal as part of a broader shift toward community policing and alternative response models to reduce unnecessary arrests and allow sworn officers to focus on higher‑risk calls. He noted that downtown and Briarwood areas face increasing commercial activity and special events that require visible, non‑threatening engagement.

Council members asked about role definition, metrics, and whether the positions should sit within the police department or another agency; Anderson said the job scope will evolve with community input and training and emphasized coordination with community mental health and other social services.

Requests included one community standards civilian position and municipal safety officers plus four additional sworn officers; the department said it expects the civilian personnel to create cost‑savings relative to sworn staffing on some functions while improving engagement.