Funding & Budget

Police departments are funded through the city’s budget. However, unless something truly terrible happens, police forces almost always have very high levels of public support—fighting crime and keeping the peace are regarded as important for many citizens. As a result, managers should be aware that being seen as “anti-police” in their budgeting decisions, even if it is an incorrect label, as this can be incredibly detrimental to both political and professional reputations. This does not mean that managers should shy away from making tough budget and staffing decisions involving the police if the times require it, but they should be prepared to defend their decisions in the face of significant opposition that may follow. Alternative forms of funding can be very useful for cash-strapped local police departments. Grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Community Oriented Policing Services HUD, and the DEA are common, many foundations give out grants, and depending on your town’s laws, departments can raise donations from local businesses and community organizations. Municipal bonds can be acquired for big capital purchases or projects, and you can even levy a special tax to support your police department.

A basic understanding of the scope of services and a knowledge of the prior year’s budget is essential, as most police chiefs will often try to expand their prior year base budget. 85 percent of a police department’s budget on average is spent on personnel. Although the national average is about 2 officers per 1,000 civilians, there is no ideal size for a department or formula for determining how many officers you need. In this day and age, flexibility is important in a police budget, so division commanders have the ability to respond to emerging problems or crises appropriately. Many agencies have a written strategic plan, or some sort of plan that incorporates into city council plans/capital improvement plans. Larger departments have separate capital budgets for major technologies (like dispatch systems) or new buildings and vehicles. Technology has changed policing in profound ways, and there are constantly new technologies being released, so your department will likely make an argument to you as to why they need it. A key question to ask in these meetings is, what is net effect of this technology? Will the increase in effectiveness/efficiency offset the increase in expenses needed to maintain and to operate the new technology, especially overtime?