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Police department seeks second investigator to relieve patrol workload
Summary
The police department requested council feedback on adding a second general investigator to handle complex cases; summer costs are estimated at about $600 for shift differentials, with an annualized 2026 cost estimate near $18,900 if added permanently.
City police department leadership briefed the council on a proposal to add a second general investigator to handle time‑intensive cases — sexual assaults, death investigations, elder abuse and complex financial exploitation — and to reduce the administrative burden on patrol officers.
Department representatives said the current staffing shortfall has placed a heavy case load on a single investigator and that investigators’ assignments and training cycles require staffing flexibility. For July–September the department proposed a hybrid staffing model in which a patrol officer would take a limited investigator role at a shift differential; summer shift differentials were estimated at roughly $600 total for the short term. If expanded into a full investigator position, the department estimated roughly $18,900 in additional wage cost for 2026 and asked council for feedback on structure and timing.
Councilors did not object to the proposal and suggested using current 2025 savings from vacancies to offset short‑term costs; formal budget approval would occur during the 2026 budget cycle if the council chooses to fund a permanent position.
