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Police, prosecutor and fire staffing requests highlighted as council weighs technology and shift changes
Summary
Council reviewed a package of public-safety requests: technology upgrades (MDTs, mobile citation, RITC), proposals to add police staffing incrementally, police-shift conversion analysis, and a multi‑position request from the Commonwealth's Attorney tied to potential increases in jury trials.
Staff described a range of public-safety items for FY22: upgrades to vehicle-location and MDT systems, a mobile real‑time information center and a proposal to add approximately five police positions per year (mix of sworn and civilian). Staff also presented a shift-conversion analysis (12-hour to 10/8-hour options) and said any conversion would likely require phased hiring.
The Commonwealth's Attorney submitted a request for eight additional positions to handle anticipated increased trial workload should changes to jury-guideline rules encourage more defendants to choose jury trials. Staff said the Commonwealth’s request is scalable and that some positions already have partial approval. Council discussed the balance between prosecutorial requests and state responsibilities for indigent-defense funding.
Council asked staff to refine cost models and recommended that a new police chief be involved in any staffing-shift reconfiguration before final decisions are made.
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