A productive 2023 has helped position Chatham-Kent police well for the year ahead, says its chief.
A productive 2023 has helped position Chatham-Kent police well for the year ahead, says its chief.
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Chief Gary Conn also believes added front-line personnel, recently approved in the latest budget, will enhance service in the community.
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“I’m very pleased with council’s approval, with respect to not just our budget, but the recommendations that came out of our Deloitte organizational analysis,” he said in an interview.
“This will situate the organization very well in the future, at least for the next four years, the duration of this budget.”
During last month’s deliberations, councilors OK’d the police budget request, including more sworn members and civilian staffers.
Council approved net annual budget increases of $2.2 million, $2.35 million, $2.85 million and $2.9 million, for a total of $10.3 million over the four years. The overall annual police budget for 2024 will be just over $36 million.
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Over the next four years, the service plans to hire 11 new constables, four sergeants, one inspector, 11 special constables and 16 civilian staffers.
“Obviously, it’s not going to occur overnight,” Conn said. “We actually provided a phased-in process with respect to our numbers.”
The service, which marked its 25th anniversary this past year, also got provincial funding for various initiatives over the last year.
Conn called it an “excellent year” for grants, including community safety and policing, auto theft prevention and victim support programs.
Automated license plate readers and in-car cameras were among 2023 logistical additions, along with a new armored rescue vehicle to respond to high-risk calls and natural disasters, unveiled in September.
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The new vehicle, normally priced between $750,000 and $1 million, was donated by London-based General Dynamics Land Systems Canada. Chatham-Kent paid only $50,000 to repaint the vehicle and refurbish its suspension, ventilation system and electronics.
It replaces a three-decade-old armored money truck, in use since municipal amalgamation, which will be retained for training.
The new year will also see the rollout of body-worn cameras for front-line officers, Conn said, a move that enjoys broad community support.
“When we did our survey for our strategic plan, 89 per cent of the 500 random citizens who were surveyed were in favor of police officers’ use of body-worn cameras,” he said.
Other upcoming projects include radio revitalization, CCTV expansion and next generation 911.
“We’re projecting we will be able to go live (with next generation 911) either the end of the second or the beginning of the third quarter 2024,” he said. “We will be able to receive real-time texts, real-time images and video as well.”
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