El Paso police, fire departments request an increase in funding

The police department requested an increase in funding during Wednesday’s budget hearing at City Hall.

“We need to plan for the future,” said Police Chief Greg Allen, who said his department needs more officers.

The police and fire departments are asking for a 4.3 percent increase over the current budget, about $9.2 million more in funding. For police, most of that increase will pay for larger police academy classes with about 80 cadets. Police the goal is to have 30 new cadets for growth and 50 to replace officers who leave.

The requested increase would translate to about $4.2 million more for the fire department, and $5 million more for the police department. That would bring both department’s combined budget to $224.5 million for 2017.

Officer staffing remained at 1,040 in uniform for all of El Paso for the start of 2014 and 2015, but dropped to 1,023 for the start of 2016.

The plan in the works for training and recruitment would bring that to 1,059 by the end of 2017, and 1,089 by 2018. Allen said that building up the department to 1,300 in uniform was a long term goal, with an incremental build up necessary to improve police response times.

“The safe city designation is all well and good for promotions,” Allen said. “But people are still being victimized.”

“The council really needs to decide what do you want as far as an authorized number,” Allen said. “If you use comparisons like for example Austin to El Paso – Austin currently is roughly the same size, geographically. They have about 1,500 to 1,700 officers I believe, as opposed to our 1,040.

El Paso Fire Chief Sam Pena said that many of the department’s critical vehicles are getting beyond their usable condition. It’s even to the point were some of the pumper and ladder trucks are so old – twenty years in service – they can’t legally use them any more.

Across the city, the fire department has 120 major service vehicles – ambulances, pumper and ladder trucks. The plan that the department is asking the city to start supporting in this year’s budget is to replace those on a regular schedule, depending on the type. According to Pena, ambulances would be replaced on an 8 year cycle, pumper trucks replaced every 12 years, and ladder trucks every 15.

“We’re in desperate situation right now, as far as replacement of vehicles for our entire fleet,” Pena said. “But I think that the city manager has committed to assisting us in getting us at least on the right path. Again, it’s not going to change much from one day to the next. But if we’re looking at it long term, in ten years, we’re going to start seeing a much more reliable fleet for the fire department.”

The police department is already taking steps to get officer numbers up, and needs the funding to see the increase realized.”

“We currently have two academy classes in session right now,” said Assistant Chief of Police Michelle Gardner. “One started in April, one started this month. So currently together, there’s about – I think at last count, 85 recruits between the two classes. So it’s really starting this year, but the funding going forward and the actual net 30 plan is starting in FY 2017.