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Police chief lays out options including ICAC detective, patrol increases and a bicycle‑patrol pilot
Summary
Eagle Police Chief Travis Ruby presented three FY27 supplemental options (ICAC detective + admin assistant; add 2 patrol deputies; add 4 patrol deputies), described rising call volumes and proactive enforcement outcomes, and proposed a bicycle‑patrol pilot with guaranteed 400 hours at an estimated $36,000.
Chief Travis Ruby presented Eagle Police Department performance metrics and three supplemental staffing options for the FY27 budget during the council's June 17 special meeting. The options center on adding an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) detective, an administrative assistant shared with the fire district, and between zero and four additional patrol deputies depending on council direction.
"Option 1 is to add an additional Internet crimes against children detective and 1 administrative assistant," Ruby said. He described the ICAC detective as critical to investigating online exploitation and partnering with local, state and federal agencies, and said several neighboring jurisdictions had requested similar staffing.
Ruby told council that call volumes and certain high‑liability incidents have increased, requiring more deputies be taken off routine patrol to manage multi‑person pursuits and complex investigations. He proposed a targeted bicycle‑patrol pilot during peak summer periods as a lower‑cost visibility measure: "I came up with 400 patrol hours ... and I projected the fully loaded overtime rate and came up with $36,000," he said, describing it as a way to guarantee high‑visibility patrol hours without hiring a full FTE.
Councilmembers asked about the operational benefits of adding one versus two deputies, the impact on response times, and whether staffing changes would align with the level‑of‑service study. Ruby said two deputies would preserve shift balance and that adding the ICAC detective plus two patrol deputies would likely align the department with recommended levels under the city's Level of Service analysis.
The city did not adopt any of the supplemental options during the meeting; councilors expressed broad support for the ICAC concept and the bicycle‑patrol idea but acknowledged budget constraints and requested more financial detail during budget deliberations.
