Council amends salary ordinance to create 'patrol investigator' training position; $1,300 to be reallocated

The Danville Town Council on March 11 agreed to amend a salary ordinance to list two additional committee positions and to transfer funds to create a patrol investigator training position within the police department.

Staff told the council the proposed amendment does not add headcount but reallocates pay to place an officer in a 'patrol investigator' training role. During the discussion the police chief said, "I'll be asking for $1,300, which I already had in my budget," and emphasized the amount comes from internal transfers rather than new money.

Several council members questioned changing salary allocations midyear. One member said they were "not a big fan of changing or amending salary performance throughout the year" and raised concerns about precedent if positions are reallocated outside of the normal budget cycle. Staff clarified the ordinance change is for introduction only; the item was introduced and amended for tonight's introduction so council can consider it formally at a later meeting.

Council discussed that the patrol investigator would continue regular patrol duties while taking on investigative cases that interest them, with the role providing an on‑the‑job path toward a detective assignment. Staff said the department has training funds and existing personnel who have completed investigation coursework and that no additional ongoing payroll increase is requested beyond the internal transfer.

What happens next: the ordinance was introduced as amended and will return for formal consideration in a subsequent meeting.