Police And Fire Staffing Stay Front And Center

Public safety staffing remained one of the biggest pressure points in Rockwall’s budget discussion. Police Chief Fowler said the department requested two patrol officers, two detectives and a dispatcher, but none of those positions were funded in the proposed budget.

Fowler told council response times are being affected by heavier call volumes, traffic and vacancies. He said the department is handling more complex calls that can take multiple officers for longer periods of time, and that felony arrests are up 55% this year. He also said the city is seeing slower response because of traffic congestion even on high-priority calls.

On the police side, Fowler said the department is dealing with four openings and has not had success hiring this year. He said one patrol staffing figure that looks strong on paper does not reflect leave, training, deployment and other absences that quickly pull officers off the street. He added that the department is still managing overtime, but that staffing gaps and training costs remain a challenge.

Fire staffing also came up as officials discussed the city’s SAFER grant and the department’s goal of four-person staffing. Fire leaders said the city would need at least three more people and possibly as many as six to reach that target. They said the current staffing level is holding, but the city still depends on overtime when staffing drops below minimum levels.

Council members said public safety remains a top concern as the city grows. The budget did not add the requested police positions or fully close the gap toward the fire department’s ideal staffing level.