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Police chief warns Rawlins department 'not a safe situation' amid staffing shortfall
Summary
Police Chief Ward told the council the department has five vacancies out of 11 sworn officer positions and averages about 925 CAD events per month, raising concerns about officer and public safety and prompting a plan to keep some positions frozen until staffing stabilizes.
Police Chief Ward told the Rawlins City Council the police department is operating with several vacant positions and significant workload pressures during the FY2027 budget work session. “The fact that we have 5 open police officer positions out of 11, it's not a safe situation,” Chief Ward said.
Ward described the department's operational tempo: the department averages about 925 CAD events per month, which include 911 calls, nonemergency calls, officer‑initiated activity and requests for fire or EMS. He also highlighted the department's victim advocate work and the volume of animal control calls, which ranked among the top five call types.
Council members asked how Rawlins compares with other cities and whether frozen positions could be returned to active hiring. Ward said he is uncomfortable with frozen positions but supported temporarily keeping two positions frozen while recruiting, with the intention to return to council to request reopening when staffing improves.
On equipment and dispatch, staff noted $92,570 in the budget for a Motorola payment related to an approved 911 system upgrade and requested two new patrol vehicles and camera equipment allocated from impact assistance funds. Council did not take a final vote on police staffing during the session; staff said any request to unfreeze positions would return for council approval.
