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San Fernando council hearing spotlights police budget, patrol visibility and outreach plans
Summary
Acting Chief Perez and Commander Woodward presented the San Fernando Police Department’s FY2026–27 budget and work plan, emphasizing homeless outreach partnerships, recruitment and a push for more visible patrols; council members pressed for clearer response pathways and for better data on app-based reporting.
Acting Chief Perez and Commander Brian Woodward laid out the San Fernando Police Department’s proposed FY2026–27 operational budget and priorities during the council’s budget study session, focusing on maintaining core public‑safety services while addressing staffing gaps and community outreach.
The presentation summarized the department’s organization into operations and administrative divisions and listed recent accomplishments — including directed retail‑theft details and compliance checks — and proposed investments for the coming year, such as a one‑time electric community‑service officer (CSO) vehicle and a modest tuition‑reimbursement allocation. "The operations division’s accomplishments for the fiscal year include curbing retail theft through shoplifting details," Commander Brian Woodward said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Council members said residents want to see officers in the community and pressed police leadership for concrete steps to improve patrol visibility, reporting and outreach. Council members repeatedly framed their questions around two public priorities: more officers visibly patrolling parks and commercial corridors, and reliable ways for residents to report quality‑of‑life issues.
Key details: Chief Perez described how the department coordinates a homeless‑outreach effort with North Valley Caring Services and the city’s area lead officers, saying, "We have a homeless outreach program currently in place ... we work collaboratively through our BCRC and North Valley Caring Services," and that outreach teams document contacts and, when necessary, move to enforcement steps for repeat quality‑of‑life problems. On reporting, staff noted the city’s app channels non‑emergency reports to designated staff and that dispatch handles emergencies and 911 calls.
Staffing and vehicles: Police leaders gave a recruitment update: three candidates are through background and entering psychological and polygraph stages, three are in the academy and some personnel are on administrative or medical leave. The department currently has vacancies and expects several new officers to be onboarded by year end. Councilors also asked about a small fleet of vehicles out of service; staff said repairs are being managed within current budget lines and confirmed no new budget appropriation is required for those immediate fixes.
Data, transparency and patrols: Council members asked about GPS and heat‑map tools to demonstrate patrol coverage for residents. Staff said policies with the police association must be finalized before full deployment but that the city is exploring options to show higher‑level patrol trends without compromising officer safety.
What’s next: Council directed staff to return with clearer operational metrics, dispatch timelines for app reports, and a follow‑up report on patrol‑deployment strategies. The budget remains under active consideration and the council continued several related budget items to a follow‑up meeting for final adoption.
