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Police report: staffing shortfalls, COPS grant proposal and dispute over tow-lot vs. forfeiture revenues
Summary
Chief Cheney told the Public Safety Committee that calls for service and arrests rose in Q1 while staffing lagged; he proposed applying for a COPS hiring grant to add three officers and sought to direct tow-lot and forfeiture revenue toward expanding camera and shot-spotter coverage. Council and finance staff agreed to move the funding discussion to Budget & Finance for clarification of legal constraints and historical decisions.
At the Public Safety Committee meeting on April 14, Police Chief Cheney reviewed first-quarter activity and proposed grant-supported hiring while flagging unsettled accounting for tow-lot proceeds and asset-forfeiture funds.
Chief Cheney said the department recorded 77 more arrests and 216 more calls for service in the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, while staffing remained below last year's levels. He reported six lateral offers under background review and several candidates for the police academy, and said the department will prioritize three laterals for early May fielding.
Cheney told the committee he plans to apply for the COPS hiring grant when it opens at the end of April or early May and proposed requesting funding for three officers, which staff estimated would bring total full-time personnel to 21 and allow minimum squad staffing of three officers per shift. Committee members noted that the grant covers 75% of officer salary for three years and that the city must budget for continuing costs in subsequent years.
The chief also proposed using revenue currently tracked in tow-lot receipts and certain forfeiture accounts to expand the Flock camera system and add shot-spotter technology. Staff and councilors clarified that forfeiture proceeds are statutorily restricted to police use, while tow-lot proceeds have been routed to the general fund in past years. Council members asked for historical records and any ordinance that established the prior disposition of tow-lot proceeds and asked the Council President and finance staff to coordinate a follow-up with Budget & Finance to determine appropriate policy.
Other topics included camera-system hardware delays (exterior brackets), potential K9 acquisition via lateral hire, mutual-aid workload, and options for a shared PD/Fire generator; members also discussed neighborhood-watch and DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area) possibilities near College Station.
Committee agreed to pursue the COPS grant application in coordination with finance and requested vendor cost estimates for Flock system expansion and shot-spotter functionality. The more detailed question of reallocating tow-lot and forfeiture funds was referred to Budget & Finance for financial and legal review.
