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Police budget rises as city assumes more in-house camera monitoring; community groups raise concerns about event-policing fees
Summary
The Police Department—s FY2027 proposal includes a $69.4 million general-fund request, a $1.6 million Axon body-camera and taser contract and a move to in-house camera monitoring that officials say will save roughly $412,000; community groups urged the council to reconsider a new requirement that events hire officers, warning it may price out volunteer leagues.
Wilmington—s police-operations budget for FY2027 reflects new recurring technology costs and changes in how the city will operate its camera monitoring, and it prompted public testimony from a volunteer sports-league leader who said a new officer-hiring requirement threatens his program.
OMB deputy director Mister Winkler told the Finance Committee that the proposed FY27 general fund budget for the police department is $69.4 million, up roughly $2.2 million (3.2%) versus the prior budget. Personal services account for 83% of the budget, Winkler said, and the department—s contracted maintenance services line rises mainly because of a consolidated five-year Axon contract for body cameras and tasers budgeted at about $1.6 million annually.
"This is actually the second year of a five-year contract with Axon, with costs expected to remain flat at that $1.6 million per year going forward," Winkler said. Chief Campos told council members the Axon contract is statewide-standard and not one the department could avoid: "We don't have a choice in this. This is mandated by the state."
Chief Campos also explained an operational shift away from an outsourced camera-monitoring vendor. The department said it eliminated a contract that had cost about $412,000 in FY26 and will instead staff monitoring with a blended model of real-time-crime-center analysts, light-duty officers and available patrol personnel. Campos said internal staffing and investigator use of camera rooms will produce both operational familiarity and financial savings.
Council members pressed the department for details about vacancies, overtime, academy costs and recruitment. The chief listed 24 sworn vacancies at the time of the hearing and described a hiring pipeline (multiple academy classes) and recruitment strategies that include career fairs, billboards and community outreach.
Public comment focused on the cost of event policing. Izzy (Izy) Bellito, vice president of the Roberto Clemente League, said a new city requirement that large sports events hire officers would cost his volunteer league an estimated $30,000 for the season and could force the league to curtail programming for roughly 300 children. "We do everything possible to serve our underserved community," Bellito told the committee. He asked the city to reconsider whether volunteer organizations should shoulder the full policing cost for city-park events.
WPD and OMB officials said the city uses a third-party vendor to collect extra-duty costs from organizations that request officers for events and that those fees are billed to the event sponsor rather than charged to the city—s general fund. Council members and staff discussed whether the city could or should create a targeted assistance approach for nonprofit organizations that cannot cover those costs.
The committee asked for follow-up documents and directed staff to coordinate responses through the legislative assistant. No formal vote was taken during the hearing segment.
