Chief urges approval of seventh officer as town hears detailed staffing, call‑volume data

Police Chief Mike Ael addressed Article 16 seeking $74,814.70 to create a seventh full‑time officer (no sooner than July 1, 2026), with an estimated full‑year cost thereafter of about $149,628.94. The chief described staffing shortfalls that leave officers responding alone to complex and potentially dangerous incidents, cited recent investigations (including a bank robbery that required multi‑agency response), and said officers logged 7,136 calls for service in 2025 — a 31% increase over the prior year. He said officers frequently work overtime and that the department has high turnover and limited in‑house training capacity, arguing that an additional full‑time officer would provide redundancy and improve safety and case continuity.

Residents asked for comparative staffing statistics; the chief presented a 11‑town comparison showing Newswitch officers carry a heavier per‑officer resident ratio (about 980 residents per officer vs. about 578 average in the sampled towns). A resident moved to amend the article to fund both a seventh and an eighth position (budgeted at $149,628.94 for six months, with a larger annual cost); the amendment was discussed and put to a voice vote and failed. The transcript excerpt ends after the failed amendment; the final disposition of the original Article 16 (seventh officer only) is not recorded in the provided excerpt.