Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ridgecrest police budget emphasizes local hiring, equipment and strain from county jail transports
Summary
The police chief told council the department is largely budget‑stable for FY27 with 29 officer positions, rising local hires and grants pending, but described operational strain from hundreds of transports to the county jail and discussed new equipment and evidence storage plans.
The Ridgecrest Police Department presented its FY2026–27 budget at the June 10 workshop as largely unchanged in total but restructured to raise wages and improve retention. The chief said the department now lists 29 officer positions, has filled most roles with local residents, and relies on about 85 volunteers and reserves to supplement operations.
The chief described recent operational successes and equipment plans: grants expected to deliver an OTS trailer and a transport van, continued use of the Flock Safety camera program, new vehicles including a command vehicle, upgraded body and car camera systems, and a planned evidence‑storage building to relieve space constraints. The department also plans a community response team with motorcycle officers to help with traffic enforcement and investigations.
Council and police discussed the burden of transporting arrestees to the county jail, which the chief said required roughly 720 transports annually and consumed hours per transport. The chief said the city lacked control over county jail operations and that building a local jail would create substantial liability and multi‑million dollar construction costs; the issue remains unresolved in the workshop.
The chief reported that crime is generally down in several categories, arrests are down about 17% (partly attributed to staffing transitions), and the department is actively recruiting and training new officers and CSOs. Staff asked the council to continue support for planned capital and staffing needs; no formal police‑specific budget votes occurred at the workshop.
