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Council approves budget amendment to add four sworn officers and four community-service officers
Summary
Council approved a budget amendment to add four sworn officers and four community-service officers (CSOs); Police Chief Grasick said the hires will move the department closer to recommended staffing ratios and free sworn officers for high-priority duties.
Council approved a budget amendment that funds four additional sworn officers and four community-service officers (CSOs), a package presented by Finance Director Scott Ward and Police Chief Grasick.
Ward said the general-fund fiscal impact for the remainder of the fiscal year was estimated at roughly $482,481 and an additional $480,000 in the police impact fund for vehicle purchases; Chief Grasick framed the request in the context of population growth and service demands. He noted Claremont's officer-per-1,000 ratio was below the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's guidance and that adding four officers would move the city closer to recommended levels.
"Adding 4 officers would improve this to 1.96 [officers per 1,000 residents], moving closer to recommended standards," Chief Grasick said, and he described the CSO program as a cost-effective way to handle nonemergency calls and free sworn officers for higher-priority work.
Public commenters endorsed the plan as a way to preserve proactive policing and reduce officer stress and overtime; council members noted the long-term budget implications and asked for accountability as staff implement the program. Council approved the resolution 5-0.
