Police board OK’s $4.7M capital budget
The Niagara Regional Police services board passed its capital budget for 2018 Thursday — and the meeting was tame compared to last year’s battle royale.
This year’s budget calls for $4,692,000 in capital expenditures for police in 2018. It comes in $1,950,700 less than forecast for 2018.
“The team we have now is impressing me ,” said Bob Gale, police board chairman. “They are watching costs and thinking outside the box.
“When we keep the capital costs under control, anything we save eventually ends up going towards putting officers on the streets,” the Niagara Falls regional councillor added.
That said, the capital budget in 2017 was $2,902,100.
This 2018 capital budget is one part of the overall police budget. The 2018 operating budget will be set in September. The 2017 operating budget, which includes salaries, was $137,259,204. It is the largest single item on the tax bill Niagara Region sends its ratepayers.
Included in the 2018 capital budget is $175,000 to replace a tactical/explosives robot and $40,000 for a new bomb suit.
The bomb squad uses a Van Guard MK2 robot. It has been in service since 2004 and runs on antiquated analogue technology, said Sgt. Damian McMenamin of the emergency task unit.
The costs of keeping the robot operational are mounting. Breakdowns are becoming more frequent. Spare parts are hard to find. Newer robots with digital operating systems provide greater range and capabilities. McMenamin said the robot is deployed on average between about 28 times a year on a variety of different calls.
The decision on the bomb suit was even easier. The warranty has expired.
This year’s capital budget meeting was a far cry from last year’s when members of the board sparred repeatedly with the former chief over some bigticket items that included an armoured vehicle and a new police boat.
The board ended up turning down a request from the service to purchase a $300,000 tactical armoured rescue vehicle or armoured truck over questions about how often it would be used and worries about the increasing militarization of the police.
The board did, however, approve a $500,000 patrol vessel. NRP search-and-rescue calls are at an all-time high and the service is responsible for 938 kilometres of shoreline.
One of the old vessels spent the entire summer docked for repairs and the engines needed an overhaul.
Looking ahead, the biggest item in the 2018 capital budget is vehicle replacement. That will cost $1.4 million.
IT and network equipment replacement will cost taxpayers $1.1 million. Replacements for mobile data terminals is budgeted for $800,000.
Two relatively small items in the capital budget for 2018 are an indication of some of the risks front-line officers face. The board approved $73,000 for two AirClean Systems safe ductless enclosures for drug investigations and one portable Detection Ionscan 600 scanner. The ductless enclosures will allow investigators to analyse and package narcotics as evidence in a safe and secure work area. The portable ion scanner will allow officers to identify dangerous narcotic substances at the scene quickly.
Discoveries of fentanyl and carfentanyl are becoming increasingly common in Niagara. The drugs are often mixed with other narcotics.
The danger of exposure to first responders across North America was highlighted in May, when an Ohio police officer accidentally overdosed on fentanyl following a traffic stop. After arresting two men, the police officer searched the car and found white powder throughout the vehicle. He followed proper procedure for handling drugs by using latex gloves and a mask while conducting the search, but nearly died after returning to the station. He discovered some white powder on his uniform and — out of instinct — brushed it off. An hour later, he passed out, having overdosed from the drug, which entered his system from contact with his skin.
In Niagara, there have been 13 cases of fatal fentanyl overdoses among citizens since March 2016, a report to the police board said.