The Medicine Hat Police Service has presented its proposed 2025-2026 budget to council, seeking money for three more downtown patrol officers and a sweeping replacement of the service's handguns.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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New police spending includes money for new officers to expand a downtown patrol initiative, as well as about $275,000 to replace the Medicine Hat Police Service’s guns.
The proposed 2025-2026 budget from the MHPS board was presented to council this week ahead of a final debate on Dec. 16, and shows capital requests for sidearms to replace existing equipment issued in the early 1990s.
Three new salaries would help shore up staffing efforts in the city centre, where overtime was employed in recent years.
MHPS chief Al Murphy told council the area needs more resources.
The downtown patrol unit covers “a variety of issues that we’ve seen in the downtown and surrounding areas,” and adding two officers to a current three-person unit would “expand our time (on the street) and the geography” into the River Flats area, he said.
Coun. Robert Dumanowski, who sits on the police commission, said he supports the budget but wanted it known the city has requested more funding from the province to tackle issues and help pay for more officers.
“The ask (in the budget) I think is pretty sound, but we’ve made a request to the province for costs commiserate to (funding) for other municipalities,” said Dumanowski. “There may be an opportunity for some payback. It’s the No. 1 concern of the public and this is an attempt to respond to that.”
Murphy said the city has not heard about a grant request since it was made in June, but the item is needed and should be budgeted.
“It would be a wash, but we need these resources at the end of the day,” he said.
Another school resource officer would be funded half by the department and half in equal portions by the local public and Catholic school divisions.
The $27.6-million police operating budget in 2025 would require $23.7 million in taxpayer support once operating grants from the province and fine revenue are accounted for.
That is about $1.3 million more than budgeted in 2024, with increased salaries making up most of the difference.
That is also before $372,000 is added for the three new positions. Inflation will at $172,000 on the cost of goods and fuel the department uses.
The capital budget would total $335,000, most of it for new firearms.
“Citizens have got every penny out of these resources, but they’re 20 years old and becoming obsolete,” said Murphy, who said currently .40 calibre sidearms would be updated with 9-mm models used by four other municipal services in the province that have already made the upgrade.
Another $52,000 would be spent to upgrade carbine rifles employed by the tactical team.
Generally, said Murphy, the older weapons are harder to repair and “have fired hundreds” of rounds in practice over the last two decades, leading to “significant safety concerns,” for offices and the public.
Other capital purchase items:
— $12,000 to upgrade a “fuming chamber” to reveal finger prints on evidence more quickly;
– $20,000 for a drone to aid in investigations,
– $35,000 for replacement roadside alcohol screening devices;
— $11,000 would replace two older radar speed guns in 2026;
– $69,000 to purchase a mobile public safety unit camera unit.
