Roanoke Rapids police Chief Lawrence Wiggins Tuesday outlined his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year in a memo to the council.
The council heard from all department heads during the work session and now waits to see a first draft of the proposed financial plan at their next meeting.
Overall, he said, operational figures are the same with a few exceptions.
He noted that part-time salaries had previously been reduced from $18,000 to $10,000 and would like to use the $8,000 by allocating $5,000 to Project Lifesaver and $3,000 for special response team operations and equipment.
He pulled postage from the telephone and postage line item and into its own line item.
He recommended that the department's fingerprinting go from $10 to $25, a figure he said is consistent with a majority of the surrounding organizations.
Mobile computing equipment
The RRPD currently serves 14,500 to 15,000 residents based on the 2020 and 2024 Census in an approximately 10 square-mile area. “This population does not include the daily influx of people traveling through or to the city for work,” he said. “Daily operational tempo requires the RRPD to handle situations in the field effectively and efficiently which equates to as reasonably possible to keep up with the call volume.”
This is why officers use mobile computing devices and currently the RRPD employs systems that are outdated with some introduced into the market in 2011. “Additional systems purchased in the recent past out of desperation were neither sufficient to meet the technological demands of the RRPD nor the physical demands of usage in law enforcement.”
The RRPD has obtained quotes to purchase and quotes to lease Toughbook FZ-55's which are currently in the benchmark class of mobile computing, he said.
This is the most pressing issue, he said, with an annual lease of approximately $47,000.
Concurrently, Wiggins said the RRPD has four vehicles in operation without radios.
To remedy this the cost is approximately $17,500 which includes a $1,500 buffer to address potential tariff increases not accounted for on the quote.
Special response team rifles/parts
Currently, the RRPD is reconstituting the Special Response Team. “Due to the high OpTempo the Criminal Investigation Division as well as the Narcotics Unit in conjunction with the Halifax Regional Gang and Drug Taskforce, the RRPD needs a unit that can address a multitude of situations with a variety of techniques and precision,” he said.
Currently, the rifles fielded by the RRPD are by a company no longer in business and are prone to malfunctions. “This capital expenditure, in lieu of replacing all the pistols of the RRPD, is needed to ensure that the officers selected for this unit have the right equipment for the critical nature of the SRT.”
The estimated cost of 10 completed rifles along with parts to convert three weapons systems to marksman rifles is approximately $15,000.
Unmanned aerial system
Inherent to the responsibilities of the department is the immediate and rapid response to critical matters and to do them safely, effectively, and efficiently, Wiggins said.
“The acquisition of (these systems) provides the RRPD with the ability to address a myriad of situations that enhance situational awareness, real time intelligence and the safety of the officers responding.”
He is looking at two systems — the TAT Lite Avata at $5,000 and the Autel EVO Max at $18,040.
The TAT Avata is utilized for building searches, low clearance, and environments hostile to human health due to atmospheric conditions or other chemical/biological contaminants.
This Autel system allows for continuous operations over extended periods of time. It comes equipped with thermal imaging as well as enhanced optical and digital zoom. “Specifically, this system would be utilized in surveillance activities due to its technological capabilities enhancing the drug task force's abilities to conduct investigations, response to large industrial complexes, providing situational awareness for officers responding to a scene; and missing persons/search and rescue operations.”
Currently, the RRPD does have access to a UAS system through mutual aid. However, he said, “A dedicated system housed at the RRPD with at least two trained pilots on each squad and investigations would ensure that deployment of the UAS is not delayed, thus enhancing operational readiness.”
Forensic digital photography equipment
Currently the RRPD employs an investigator as an evidence technician who also processes crime scenes. “The current digital photography equipment is not sufficient to properly document crime scenes,” the chief said. “As a sole investigator a crime scene can take in excess of four hours to process.”
With the requested equipment — estimated at $13,000 — time spent on photography and visual documentation of a crime scene may be reduced due to the enhancements in the technology, he said. “Furthermore, how a scene is documented has far reaching implications on outcomes in court. The presentation of what was documented with the enhancements of the technology will show that the RRPD has the proper equipment to properly document a crime scene.”
CSI Verkada camera system
The RRPD employs various camera systems throughout the city.
Most are stationary, however, the one or two that are mobile are often committed to long-term investigations involving narcotics or gang activity. “The requested system is needed to fill in the gaps when the current systems are committed,” Wiggins said. “The use cases include deployment at work sheds to document and capture high value thefts, deployments on special events such as the Christmas parade, as well as deployments for critical investigations.”
The projected cost of this project is $71300 which includes projected tariff increases.
Budget info
City Manager Kelly Traynham told the council afterward at the next meeting there will be a first pass of a balanced budget proposal presented and then “see where we go from there. As far as our revenue outlook, I think most things would be relatively flat — there’s not really any substantial increases in things, but hopefully no substantial decreases.”
She said the revenue project memo received from the North Carolina League of Municipalities does require some analysis and looking at prior year data to anticipate what the local situation will be. “We’re looking for some stability and to make the best use of funds to impact the greatest amount of people within our community.”
In February Traynham told the council the budget is being prepared with no adjustment to the tax rate and in March she said it’s not anticipated that federal cuts will impact the financial plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
