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Police chief presents FY27 request emphasizing drones, real-time crime center and alternate response
Summary
Police Chief Brian Reid and staff presented a roughly $142 million FY27 police budget that would add officers funded in part by the Inland Port Authority, expand a real-time crime center, formalize a drone-as-first-responder program and move some social-worker programs into the department base; Reid said pilots cleared nearly 40% of certain calls in February.
At the council work session, Police Chief Brian Reid described the department's FY27 proposal, saying the request totals approximately $142 million (a roughly $7 million, 5.2% increase) and would fund additional sworn and civilian positions, including several proposed to be funded by the Utah Inland Port Authority. "Assuming all FTEs are approved, the police department would have staff of 797 positions," Reid said.
Reid highlighted program changes and investments: moving social-worker and mental-health responder programs into the department's base budget, expanding a real-time crime center, requesting a drone pilot FTE and an analyst for threat and event management, and seeking roughly $400,000 for cameras, drones and license-plate-reader replacements on an approximate five-year cycle. Reid described a February pilot in which drones served as first responders and "we were able to clear nearly 40% of those calls without sending an officer," which the department said could free officers to address higher-priority calls and quality-of-life enforcement.
Council members pressed on reimbursement for overtime and on how the department balances reimbursed special-event staffing (University of Utah events, stadiums) versus core overtime used to mitigate understaffing. Reid said most event overtime is reimbursed and that the department projects FY27 overtime at $6.5 million, a near-term reduction from prior years. He also described safety and privacy safeguards for drones and recordings: flight path records, case numbers and purpose for flights will be retained and the department said cameras will be used to respond to calls rather than to "patrol".
Council members and the chief discussed traffic safety, school resource officers (the legislature recently required districts to provide guardians, private security, or SROs, and the district has requested SROs) and fleet replacement needs. Reid argued the investments are intended to lower response times and reinvest officer time into community engagement and traffic enforcement.
