Police director previews 2027 budget as PSAP consolidation looms, requests drone funding

Colin (police department representative) delivered the department's 2027 budget presentation, laying out personnel changes, technology contracts and a new equipment request. He said the city will absorb funding for a third SRO that the school system previously helped fund and described large recurring contract costs: "our Central Square breakdown would be... October 2026, we are estimated at $69,606" if PSAP consolidation does not occur, and Axon-related fleet and body-camera costs push the 2027 Axon line toward the $80,000 range.

Colin described the proposed drone program and asked for a $15,000 addition to an existing equipment line to complete a roughly $25,000 purchase (he said some optional items can be trimmed). "The purpose of it for us will be things like missing persons, search and rescue, crime scene mapping, officer safety," he said, adding the department will use an FAA- and Fourth-Amendment-aware deployment policy and restrict operation to a single trained pilot. Council members questioned staffing and historical personnel costs; Colin said civilian positions added over recent years and a pay study (the Condrey study) account for higher totals, and confirmed several interviews are scheduled as recruitment continues.