INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police presented their funding priorities for the 2016 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department budget Wednesday morning.
The FOP announced support for a body camera and asked for transparency with costs associated with the program. The police union is concerned that with data storage costs, the program could cost millions more than expected.
"We're supportive of it, but we also have to be honest about what the costs are. We absolutely want to avoid as we move forward, suddenly discovering what those unintended costs are, especially related to the data storage, and then being forced into a scenario where we have to make a decision in lieu of other things," said Rick Snyder, President Indianapolis FOP.
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Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard presented his 2016 budget to the City-County Council in August. The $1.9 billion spending plan includes funding for 900 police body cameras. Ballard is also pushing to fund 70 new IMPD officers and 100 pursuit vehicles for the department.
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The FOP also wants to ensure the budget allows for adequate staffing. Currently, IMPD has a force of more than 1,500 officers. The proposed budget calls for hiring 70 more officers next year. The FOP wants at least 100, to account for attrition.
The FOP also called for dedicating funding for a recruitment process that focuses on diversity.
In addition, the FOP called for funding to support the IMPD Office of Professional Wellness, which focuses on preventing police officer suicides.
The group also discussed efforts to ensure continued federal grant funding for body armor programs, and called for stronger polices to require all officers to have the equipment.
The City-County Council meets Wednesday night to discuss the budget.
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