Clovis police are woefully understaffed. Here’s what City Council is doing about it
The Clovis City Council made moves this week to establish a citizens advisory committee to tackle questions and find some answers related to the short staffing of patrol officers.
The Clovis Police Department is funded for 106 cops, but the city of about 123,000 needs at least 138, according to an analysis from Etico Solutions Inc., a consultation company that specializes in law enforcement agencies.
Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming delivered the news about a week ago, shocking a number of the council members who said the issue has stretched the police department too thin.
The idea for a committee came in an email from Matt Basgall, who was chief from about 2014 to 2019 and told the council Monday the staffing issue has been ongoing. During the Great Recession, the department went from 116 officers to 91, he said.
“It’s no secret public safety is one of the major reasons people live in Clovis,” Basgall said. “Schools and public safety. We’ve said that for years.”
The council settled on a 25-member committee with five members chosen by each elected official. Some of the council worried aloud the number would be unruly, but others noted that absences are common in that sort of committee and the larger group allows for more diversity in its members.
Councilmember Bob Whelan said the council and city staffers would need to get a firm understanding on the city’s finances before he could feel comfortable about asking for more money from taxpayers for a department whose budget has grown in the last decade.
Fleming said previously the costs for retirement, health benefits and other department expenses have grown since 2006. That year, about 57% of the department’s budget went to salaries, but this year the salary spending is closer to 40%, he said, meaning less money goes to pay for officers despite the increase in the department’s budget. That stands at about $39 million.
Solutions other than more taxes
The City Council members stressed the committee is not simply to study a sales tax, but said the committee could be presented with other ways to better fund the department.
Clovis sought public safety sales tax Measure A in March of 2009, but it lost handily with just 32% support. It needed a simple majority to pass.
If the city decided to forego hiring more officers, Fleming has said, leaders would need to reduce the workload for the patrol units.
Responding to alarms and animal complaints are the top two most common calls, according to Clovis police. Officers could also stop responding to non-injury accidents, minor calls from retail stores or other less serious crimes.
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck said the “safest city in the Valley” needs to educate its citizens on the issue and present them with options.
“What kind of city do you want to live in and what are you willing to pay for it?” she said.
City staffers were asked to come back at a later date with a timeline in case the city would seek a tax measure on the November 2022 ballot.
