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Chief briefs council on dangerous incidents, new officers sworn in and drone funding question
Summary
Chief described two recent life-threatening incidents involving officers, introduced two new officers (Antonio Brown and Mark Eaton), and raised a question about using auction proceeds to buy a night-capable drone to aid searches, noting grant rules often bar drones from grant purchases.
Calera’s police chief told council the department has experienced heavy turnover and two recent incidents with life‑threatening potential: an officer was stabbed with a syringe and bitten (tests later came back negative for HIV and hepatitis) and officers recently confronted two juveniles who were armed. The chief praised the response of young officers and said the events underscore staffing and training needs.
The chief introduced two new officers, Antonio Brown and Mark Eaton; Eaton will serve part time as an SRO. Both officers were sworn in during the meeting.
Council discussed options to purchase an upgraded, night-capable drone to support after-hours searches and mapping. Staff noted auction proceeds of about $44,919 had funded prior purchases such as a K9 kennel (about $22,000) and that roughly $10,000 of auction receipts are unrestricted general-fund proceeds. The chief estimated a high-end cost of about $18,000 for a capable drone and asked whether general-fund auction proceeds could be combined with law-enforcement-designated funds to make the purchase; staff said some auction receipts restricted by origin (drug-seizure/military equipment) must remain for law enforcement uses, while other auction funds reside in the general fund.
Ending: The council did not vote on a drone purchase; staff agreed to investigate allocation options and bring feasible numbers back to council.
