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Police chief defends administrative role as council considers staffing cuts and camera contract renewal
Summary
Mabton's police chief said the job is primarily administrative and outlined a timeline for hiring and training a replacement officer; he also told council the city may not renew an external camera contract in October, which could save roughly $15,000.
Councilors questioned whether the police chief should regularly perform patrol duties as a way to cut overtime. Chief Keith (S9) said the job is "an administrative position" with patrol as a minority duty and cautioned that if he were pulling regular patrol shifts the department would lack necessary administrative coverage.
The chief reported a conditional offer has been made to a candidate and that background checks, polygraph and psychological screening are underway with a target to complete onboarding before the end of June. He also told the council that not renewing an external camera contract in October would reduce operating expenses; he estimated the near-term savings would be in the low five figures. "My thing sounds fine. I am not gonna do that. That's not what I took this position for," the chief said when asked to convert his role to full-time patrol.
Councilors and staff agreed police staffing is a priority but also noted hiring and certification timelines and training costs; the council asked staff to provide budget implications and to ensure any staffing changes comply with hiring and contract rules.
