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Police chief warns of failing generators, leaking roof and staffing shortfall; urges quick bond vote
Summary
Biloxi’s police chief told council the department’s generators and public safety building roof are in urgent need of repair, described a roughly 12‑officer staffing gap and high weekly call volume, and asked that bond funding be advanced to address critical systems; council signaled the item will be considered at the next meeting.
Biloxi’s police chief told the city council that aging infrastructure at the public safety complex — notably generators and the station roof — poses an operational risk and that the department is operating below its budgeted staffing level.
In a presentation to the council the chief said the generators require monthly repairs and that parts are increasingly difficult to source. “If the generators fail during a critical incident, not only would we lose access to informational databases, but also things like our records management system and more importantly all of our communications,” the chief said, describing how a failure would affect both police and fire operations.
The chief said the public safety roof has persistent leaks and, despite repeated repairs, is still failing in several areas; council members and residents pressed for a durable solution. He reported that the department is budgeted for 132 sworn officers and currently has about 120, with roughly 110 immediately deployable once academy and field training assignments are considered. Officers, the chief said, collectively handle between about 1,900 and 2,500 calls per week.
City staff and the chief said a bond item that would cover roof and generator replacement, plus other priority capital needs, will be brought to council for a vote at an upcoming meeting so work can begin before costs or damage escalate. Councilmembers acknowledged the operational risk and said they expect to consider the bond request promptly.
The chief also described programmatic responses to recurring street‑level issues including expanded homeless outreach and a no‑cost mobile reporting tool the department will pilot to better track camps and trespass complaints. Councilmembers and residents asked for clearer operational timelines and for staff to return with budget and procurement specifics once the bond is formally proposed.
Next steps: staff to include these items in the next bond packet and return with cost estimates and an implementation timetable for generator replacement, roof repair and associated capital work.
