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Police chief tells aldermen Waterbury is staffing toward 315 officers; Axon contract and $5.4M radio project cited in budget
Summary
During a May 12 budget hearing, the police chief said the department has 305 sworn officers now and expects 315 by year‑end after COPS‑grant hires; aldermen pressed on overtime, Axon body‑camera costs and a proposed $5.4 million radio replacement that the administration would finance via bonding or grants.
The Board of Aldermen began its special May 12 budget hearing with a presentation from the Waterbury Police Department focused on staffing and operations.
The police chief said the department currently has about 305 sworn officers and expects to be at 315 by the end of the calendar year after hires funded by a federal COPS grant. "When mayor Penaruzki took office, we had discussions about increasing the amount of sworn members of the department...we were able to get enough funding to hire 50 more officers," the chief said, describing why the department now budgets a 315 headcount. He added that 12 officers are in training in the academy and the next class will reach the streets in September.
Aldermen pressed the chief on patrol coverage and overtime. The chief said about 140 officers are assigned to patrol and that call‑response performance has improved; "the majority of calls, I would say, 90 plus percent of the calls are answered within 45 minutes," he said. On overtime, the chief and the finance manager emphasized vacancies and transitions: Finance manager Sarah Gary told the board that projected overtime for the current year was expected to be roughly $900,000 over budget in March’s monthly report, but that regular‑salaries savings from vacancies should reduce the need for transfers.
Members also questioned a rise in service and maintenance costs on pages 174–175 of the budget book. Alderman Alden Blake asked why those costs had “pretty much doubled.” The chief said the largest single component is a new Axon contract that will provide body and dash cameras, evidence‑storage in the cloud, and software for training and internal reviews. "It's gonna provide our police officers the latest technology...unlimited data storage in the cloud," he said.
The department also described capital priorities. The proposed capital improvement plan shows a $5.4 million citywide portable radio replacement project. The finance manager said the city proposes splitting the $5 million‑plus paving/radio program between a $3.0 million bond authorization and other grant or local funding. "With approval of the capital plan, that doesn't approve the bonding. Once the capital plan is approved, Mike would submit a bond authorization for the board's approval to bond for the radio replacement," she said.
Aldermen asked about neighborhood policing and community officers. The chief said community relations officers and a dedicated traffic unit address quality‑of‑life concerns, and he discussed plans to deploy a mobile precinct or citizen service center in neighborhoods rather than stationing a full precinct.
What’s next: aldermen asked for more detailed breakdowns of call types, overtime projections and how Axon and radio contracts affect ongoing operating costs. The board reminded panels it will review the capital plan and bond authorizations in later sessions.
