Buena Park officials are looking at significantly increasing the police department’s funding based on a report that hasn’t yet been made public.
With scarce public information on the report’s findings, city leaders are unanimously on board with suggestions that include adding 15 police officers over the next five years, along with 10 non-sworn positions.
This would translate to a 16% expansion of the department, costing taxpayers upwards of $6 million annually.
Currently, $37 million is budgeted for the police department.
General fund revenues are ahead of expenditures by roughly $1 million during this fiscal year.
Does the City Need More Officers?
“We truly believe the department is at a tipping point,” said Joseph Kreins, a consultant at Municipal Resource Group – and former police chief in the Bay Area – during a July 9 regular council meeting.
Kreins continued, “The span of control for many management positions and supervisors is simply unsustainable,” noting that programs and services within the police department “could begin to fail” without the city’s intervention, highlighting issues of officers frequently working overtime and retaining positions.
But police officials say otherwise.
Sgt. Jon Shaddow, Buena Park Police Departments public information officer, said in an email that the department is “fully staffed” and is having no issues with retention.
“We do not foresee any retention challenges or cuts,” Shadow said.
In a follow-up phone interview, he also pushed back on claims that police officers work too much overtime – something that was highlighted in the report from a consulting firm hired by the city.
“There’s always going to be overtime in law enforcement,” he added. “For staffing, as far as I’m concerned, we’re doing fine.”
Shaddow added that the department currently has 91 sworn officers while three positions still remain frozen by the city.
The study – which the city manager’s office paid $47,400 for – has not yet been posted on the city’s website, said Jessica Fewer, a city spokesperson on Tuesday.
Can Buena Park Afford It?
Buena Park’s police spending is projected to cost more than $37 million, representing roughly 40% of the city’s nearly $90 million general fund budget, according to the newly adopted budget.
General funds in cities are the most fluid pool of money available to elected officials, which helps pay for things like police, firefighters, libraries, parks, senior programs and a host of other quality of life initiatives.
On top of the $6 million worth of police positions the consultant’s report is recommending, Assistant City Manager Eddie Fenton said during the July 9 meeting that the costs of adding officers does not include vehicles, equipment or any other infrastructure that comes with expanding the police department.
Following last Tuesday’s regular meeting, some council members said the city needs more officers.
“The report confirmed what the City Council knew, that our [police] department is high functioning, but in need of more resources and personnel,” said Councilman Connor Traut in a July 11 phone interview.
Despite concerns of finding ways to come up with the tax dollars, Councilman Art Brown said he supported increasing funding for the police department as the city has not expanded the police force in over three decades.
“We’re not going to do it all at once,” Brown said in a phone interview last Thursday, highlighting that the city could potentially look at raising taxes.
Echoing her colleagues, Mayor Susan Sonne said that “sworn staffing levels in the police department are the same today that they were 30 years ago.”
Sonne said she has no trouble with the report not being public yet, adding that it was “incomplete only to allow council to add our comments to the findings.”
She added that despite concerns of adding officers – not providing an answer on ways to generate revenue for the city – that she looks forward to “the community being able to hear and comment on our deliberations” in a future meeting.
Councilwoman Joyce Ahn did not return calls for comment when contacted by a Voice of OC reporter.
The proposal comes after Buena Park conducted a community survey this past year that received nearly 2,000 responses, in which residents listed their top priorities that included: preventing crimes, maintaining emergency responses, and keeping public areas clean and safe, according to a staff report.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss