Clovis wants to give police more money. How the city is considering funding it
It’s not a question of whether Clovis leaders want to increase funding for its police department, but rather how and when.
The Clovis City Council made that clear during its meeting Monday night, responding to the findings of a Citizens Advisory Committee that it appointed in January to provide recommendations about police staffing and funding.
The council directed its staff to present more information at its June 6 meeting about potential ballot measures that could help Clovis police hire more officers.
Council members spent a lot of time talking about a potential hotel occupancy tax, described at one point as “low-hanging fruit” that many thought voters would support if included on the November ballot.
Clovis City Manager John Holt also summarized the citizens committee findings, presented to the council April 6. Most committee members felt current police staffing and funding isn’t adequate “to remain the safest city in the Valley” and that more officers should be added through funding provided by some form of tax increase via a ballot measure.
A consultation company in November found that the Clovis Police Department needs at least 138 officers – 29 more than were employed.
There was no mention during the meeting of a recent high-profile lawsuit against Clovis police, alleging that excessive force was used when a police canine bit a man during a traffic stop.
Council districts ahead?
Following the discussion about police funding, the city council listened to a presentation about Census and election data by consultant Douglas Johnson, president of the National Demographics Corporation. Johnson said there isn’t proof of racially polarized voting or the disenfranchisement of voters in Clovis, but that the California Voting Rights Act pushes for district elections as opposed to at-large elections – how the council is elected now. He said data shows Latinos are more highly concentrated in the center and southwest of Clovis.
