Mayor Eric Johnson is calling for the city’s next budget to include funds to hire 275 police officers and provide salary increases for first responders.
“Public safety must come first. While we cannot rely solely on the police to prevent crime, our officers play a unique role in getting dangerous people, especially repeat offenders, off our streets,” said the Mayor Johnson through a statement.
He noted that the police department has been affected in recent years by staff shortages, which have required a substantial expenditure of overtime from the police.
“We can and must do better. We need to grow our police force again to meet the demands of our residents and make our communities safer and stronger,” added the mayor.
The mayor’s request was one of several of his top budget priorities communicated in a memo to city manager TC Broadnax.
In August, the city manager will propose his budget, which the City Council can vote to amend before final approval. The next fiscal year begins on October 1.
Lewisville and Dallas are the worst hit cities.
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