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Police chief seeks officers, sergeant and new equipment as department grows
Summary
Police Chief Smith outlined a 2026-27 budget request that adds four officers and a patrol sergeant (deferred hires planned for spring 2027), detailed capital requests for CID interview cameras, radio cybersecurity and portable radios, and reported accreditation with no deficiencies.
Police Chief Smith presented the police department's proposed 2026-27 budget and operational changes, saying the department currently has authority for 75 sworn and 25 civilian positions but is operating with several vacancies. He said staffing requests include four officers and a patrol sergeant, but the hires would be deferred until spring 2027 so the city pays only half a year of salary for those positions initially. "Anything I hire today is not for today. It's for down the road," Smith said, explaining the timeline for recruiting and training.
Chief Smith also requested capital items: a CID interview-room camera system (~$30,138 with warranty and cloud storage), radio cybersecurity software (~$5,760) and handheld radios for incident command (staff will pursue a grant that could expand the purchase). He described a one-year trial for a drone first-responder program provided at no cost through a vendor agreement starting Oct. 1. Chief Smith said the department was reaccredited with zero deficiencies during a February audit. Council asked about benefit-inclusive costs for the sergeant position and the chief confirmed the figures presented include benefits.
