Topic: $500,000 in this year's budget allocated to the Huntington Police Department

[biggreenarms]

City of Huntington, WV

During a special call meeting Thursday evening, Huntington City Council voted unanimously to reallocate $500,000 in this year's budget to the Huntington Police Department so it can hire 10 new police officers and one civilian position.
Mayor Steve Williams, who was joined in the meeting by Police Chief Jim Johnson and Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney Sean Hammers, said drug crimes have become a scourge affecting every neighborhood in Huntington.
There were 219 reported drug offenses in Huntington in 2012. That number will eclipse 500 this year if the trend continues, Williams said.

The new hires will bring the department's staffing level to 121 sworn officers. The officers will not be hired until later this fiscal year due to the hiring process and scheduling of training academies.
However, Williams said the effect of the reallocation will be seen long before the 10 new officers are hired.
"This allows the Police Department to implement a new enforcement strategy that begins immediately," he said.
The budget revision includes moving $350,000 from the city's insurance line and $150,000 from the city's paving line to the Police Department. The city has spent more than $1 million in paving during the past two months and has approximately $250,000 left in the paving line for the spring.

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[Buffalo Bop]

Also, update on Huntington police chief search:

HUNTINGTON -- The selection of Huntington's new police chief could be "several weeks" from completion, according to a county investigator appointed to examine the backgrounds of those under consideration.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams conceded the same Tuesday morning, saying he underestimated the time needed to conduct background checks.

"It's gone a lot slower than I ever anticipated," he said. "But I've also said that I'd rather be slow and find the right person, than rush it and then have to live with the consequences."

Officials are looking for a successor to Skip Holbrook, who turned in his resignation on March 20 to accept the job as police chief in Columbia, S.C. His resignation was effective April 7.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x720302855/Hunt-for-new-chief-may-go-on-for-weeks