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Middletown police report five vacant patrol positions and overtime pressures; chief urges budget approval
Summary
Chief Steve Austin told the commission the department is down five patrol positions (one in academy, one conditional offer, three frozen) and operating with a replacement-overtime deficit; he urged council to approve the mayor's proposed budget increases to protect staffing and reduce overtime.
Chief Steve Austin told the Special Public Safety Commission on April 27 that the Middletown Police Department is facing a staffing shortfall and rising replacement-overtime costs.
Austin said the department is down five patrol positions: one officer is in the academy, one has a conditional offer and the remaining three positions are frozen under the FY26-27 budget. He said the department is making transfers into the replacement-overtime line but remains in deficit and that proposed budget increases from the mayor would bolster the replacement line and staffing capacity.
"We are currently working in deficit in our replacement line," Austin said, and he urged the council to approve the mayor's proposed budget, which he described as the funding necessary to protect replacement staffing. He noted other staffing pressures including officers on FMLA and workers' compensation and said some investigative work cannot be reassigned without eroding investigative capacity.
Austin also highlighted technology and regulatory costs that increase operating expenses, including integrations for body-worn cameras and translation features that can carry substantial price tags. He said the department hopes recruitment and academy pipelines will reduce the shortfall by the end of the fiscal year but recommended the council consider the budget increases to avoid longer-term service impacts.
