Grand Island police chief asks council to reclassify records post, add officers and traffic unit in 2026 budget

Police Chief Denny presented the police department’s budget and staffing priorities to the Grand Island City Council on July 28, saying the department is now "at 94 sworn" officers and has reduced crime in key categories.

Denny told the council the department is asking for a reclassification of the office manager to a "support services administrator" to centralize non‑sworn administrative responsibilities and reduce the need to add higher‑paid sworn supervisors. "This is a position that reduces our cost overall," he said, noting that it handles records management, CJIS liaison duties, open‑records processing and payroll oversight. He also requested one additional lieutenant, an administrative assistant and three FTE officer positions — two of those to create a traffic unit dedicated to education and enforcement in school zones and high‑accident locations.

The chief cited performance metrics to support the requests: "Crime overall in all 3 categories is down 22%" over three years and "violent crime so far is down 9.4%" year‑to‑date. He said the department moved about $450,000 from capital into operating to cover equipment needs and listed capital requests including seven vehicles and autopound renovations.

Council members broadly praised recruitment and retention but pressed for details on wage‑setting and equity across the city's classification system. Councilmember Hazy asked whether the job‑match methodology used to set the new salary was robust; other members urged citywide consistency in wage studies to avoid internal inequities. The council also discussed vacancy‑savings trends and the sustainability of adding permanent positions over a five‑year horizon.

The council did not take a final budget vote on the floor that night; staff indicated further budget conversations will follow in upcoming meetings.