Police Department's Budget Proposal

Background of the Budget Proposal 

Following the decision by the city manager to cut budgetary allocations to different departments by a margin of 7%, it is essential to consider the impacts this would have on the police department. However, the 7% indicated is on the minimum meaning that the budget may reduce further to accommodate the budgetary allocations. The budget cuts must be reflected in specific areas of police department’s budget with the focus being towards ensuring that the department delivers on its expected goals. The cuts will touch on areas that include assignments, personnel, equipment, and remuneration among others with the focus being towards ensuring that the department accommodates the budgetary cuts. The following is an analysis of the specific areas that the police department would need to make tough decisions as a way of coping with the budget cuts.

Budget Proposal 

From the analysis of the police department’s $60,323,400 budget, it is clear that the department would need to cut at least $4,222,638 to meet the budgetary cuts by the city manager. That means that the department would focus on making tough decisions that would impact every area of its delivery to match the budget expectations, as well as, ensuring that it maintains effective delivery of quality services. The following are some of the critical areas that the police department will focus on when implementing the budget cuts.

Assignment 

One of the critical roles of any police department is to undertake a wide array of assignments including making arrests, processing evidence, and answering calls for service among others (Cordner, 2016). As can be seen in the police department general facts and statistics, it is clear that the police department undertakes these assignments as part of improving its service delivery capacities. However, that is one of the critical areas to consider in reducing the department's budget taking into account the budget cuts announced by the city manager through a memo to the department.

The first key area that the police department will consider reducing is the overall number of training courses presented. In the statistics, the number of training courses presented is 111 all of which create a budget constraint for the department. The proposal would involve cutting the number of training courses to approximately 50 within the next financial year. That would help in reducing the amount of money that the department is spending on training, which amounts to $35,000 annually.

The second critical area to consider when implementing the budget cuts in the assignments is the operations of the bike unit. A bike unit is an essential unit within the department, as it helps in assessing any significant issues, as well as, engaging in patrols throughout the city. However, the budget cuts may translate to a considerable reduction in the number of bike operations with the focus being to reduce the amount of money it spends annually. The reduction may help reduce the $2,500,000 budget for this unit, which would help meet the expected budget cuts for the police department.

Personnel 

Personnel plays a critical role towards defining the success of a police department, as they help in the implementation of strategic plans to meet the department's goals or objectives (Cain, 2015). In this case, it can be noted that the number of personnel working for the police department is approximately 300, which is both authorized sworn police officers and authorized civilian employees.

To help in meeting the budget cuts, one of the critical areas to consider is reducing the number of authorized sworn police officers, which stands at a 207 (7 overfilled positions). The department may reduce the number of officers by approximately 25%, which would translate to a reduction of approximately 50 officers. Reducing the number of officers assigned to bike (air) unit from the current ten officers to 6 officers may help save approximately $480,000 for the department. On the other hand, reducing the number of officers per district to the minimum number, which is 46 officers per district, will help reduce the budget costs for the department by approximately $960,000.

On the other hand, reducing the number of patrol sergeants from the current 13 to approximately eight officers will help reduce the budget allocation for the personnel in the department by a margin of $600,000. The reduction in the total number of the authorized sworn police officers may help in reducing the budget for the department by a margin of $2,040,000, which helps in reaching the set budget target.

The department may also focus on the authorized civilian employees working within the department as a way of reducing the cost margins associated with management of these employees. Currently, the police department has approximately 100 authorized civilian employees working within different areas of the department including radio, records, aides, crime scene personnel, and crime lab scientists. However, the budget cuts may mean a reduction of these employees to approximately 80, which will be distributive for the divisions indicated. The estimated budget savings from the cut is approximately $2,400,000 for the department annually, which is an important approach to consider.

Remuneration 

The other critical area that the department may consider as part of its approach to reducing the amount of money it is spending is remuneration. The specific focus will be on overtime pay for the officers and staff working for the department. Currently, the department spends approximately $2,000,000 on overtime pay, which is a significant amount when considering the budget cuts for the department. The department must come up with a policy that limits and caps the number of overtime hours for both officers and employees. The objective for the department is to reduce the overtime pay by at least 25%, which would translate to the department spending approximately $1,500,000 on overtime. On the overall budget for the department, this will be significant in ensuring that the department can meet its goal, which is to limit the budget allocated to different divisions.

Equipment 

Lastly, the department may focus on the costs that it is spending on a wide variety of equipment with the focus being towards meeting its current budgetary expectations. One notable area to consider is the budget allocated to the bike unit for equipment, which is $2,500,000. As can be seen earlier, in this proposal, the number of officers and operations of the bike unit have been reduced to match the set expectations. In that same way, the budget for the bike unit can be reduced by approximately $1,000,000 to accommodate the budget cuts. That will translate to a reduction in bicycle unit maintenance by a margin of approximately $10,000. In overall, the department may focus on maintaining the budgetary allocations for all other equipment as part of its approach to enhancing service delivery.

References

Cain, M. E. (2015).  Society and the Policeman's Role . New York, NY: Routledge.

Cordner, G. W. (2016).  Police Administration . New York, NY: Routledge.