SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento City Council is considering passing a budget proposed by the Sacramento Police Department and, for another year, the department is asking for a significant bump.
The department is hoping to get approved for $228.2 million in this year's budget.
As the Vice Chair of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission, Keyan Bliss is frustrated to see the department asking the city council to approve so much money.
"This is the sixth consecutive increase that they're getting another $10 million," said Bliss.
In 2020, the department received nearly $158 million. Just last year, it jumped to more than $219 million. This year, they're hoping for an additional $10 million.
The department is also hoping for close to $10 million from Measure U to maintain and hire staff.
Timothy Davis, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, wasn't able to speak with ABC10 Tuesday but did say in past years that staffing is an important part of the department's budget.
"Our officers are exhausted because mandatory overtime occurs," Davis said in 2021. "There have been periods of time in the last year where they have had to work seven days a week, 12 hours a day."
Bliss believes the department already has enough resources.
"They are the largest department and we're actually going to be cutting other departments that could be providing other crucial community services," he said. "Particularly in the realm of Homeless Services."
On the topic of staffing, the department plans on spending $1.6 million on body cameras and equipment, $1 million on fleet technology, more than $1 million on safety equipment, and $1.4 million on violence prevention.
It also promises to expand community engagement and transparency by being proactive in releasing officer-involved shooting videos and partnering with schools to focus on youth engagement.
Bliss believes it can be done without the hefty budget request. The city council still needs to approve the proposed budget.
A spokesperson with Sacramento Police Department released a statement to ABC10 on the proposed budget Wednesday morning.
"Last night, the Sacramento Police Department presented its FY23/24 budget proposal to our mayor and city council. The proposal allows for the reallocation of resources back into our patrol division, providing a better workload balance for our officers. Having more officers on patrol positions our department to provide better and more timely customer service to our community. Moreover, the proposal outlines a new police district in the eastern portion of the city with the goal of improving response times and services in that identified area. The proposal also funds the Office of Violence Prevention and the incredible work our community-based organizations do. We are excited about extending those partnerships in our continued effort to reduce violent crime and address root causes.
Lastly, we are eliminating certain positions and using them to add to our youth pipelines. We recognize the critical importance of continuing to engage the youth in our community. Our proposal increases our budget by 1.55% or around three million dollars," a spokesperson with the Sacramento Police Department said.
