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St. Charles County Police honored with re-accreditation; chief outlines drone and regional programs
Summary
The council recognized the St. Charles County Police Department's re-accreditation and heard Chief Kirk Fris present staffing and program updates, including a Drone First Responder rollout and a proposed DHS BioWatch grant to fund positions and equipment.
The St. Charles County Council on June 29 paused its agenda to recognize the St. Charles County Police Department's successful re‑accreditation. Dr. Hibden, a professor and member of the national accreditation commission, presented the department's four‑year accreditation award and praised the work of the department and accreditation manager Tom Persie.
Chief Kirk Fris then presented departmental data and program highlights. He reported the department has 222 employees, 179 of them sworn officers, and currently three vacancies. Patrol figures included thousands of calls for directed activity, several hundred fugitive felony arrests, about 190 DUI arrests and some tens of thousands of traffic stops. The chief listed partnerships including the regional Realtime Information Intelligence Center (RICK), federal law enforcement partners, and a criminal interdiction task force that reported numerous arrests, weapons seizures and recovered stolen vehicles.
Councilmembers asked about the Drone First Responder (DFR) program's expected performance and funding. Chief Fris said DFR sites will be placed at five locations across the county to provide rapid aerial "eyes on" incident scenes before officers arrive; the goal is to enhance officer and public safety. He said the initial DFR rollout for the county is not covered by grants but that future technology upgrades are anticipated.
The council also heard introduction of Bill 5502, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant award to participate in the BioWatch program. The proposal would add one program manager and six intermittent technical positions, fully funded by a $467,982 grant, and would cover vehicles and equipment. Councilmembers were told the grant is 100% funded for the initial period and positions would be intermittent (not permanent on the county payroll).
