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many females and people of color are in the department. Chief Kaucheck stated that there are 11 <br /> female officers, with 1 more to be added soon, and 6-8 Hispanic or African American officers, <br /> with both of those numbers trending upwards in recent years. <br /> Councilmembers then discussed overtime trends, city contributions to the police pension fund, and <br /> recruitment efforts with Chief Kaucheck. Councilmembers also indicated their support for a police <br /> motorcycle unit to increase speed enforcement. <br /> Lakewood Division of Fire Budget Presentation <br /> Chief Dunphy indicated that the Fire Department is operating with the same staffing level of 90 <br /> members as it has over the last few years. He shared that information on the new neighborhood <br /> paramedic that the department started this year. <br /> Chief Dunphy reviewed various 2022 Fire Department accomplishments,which included building <br /> an addition onto Fire Station 42, creating an internal awards program, and bring back the car seat <br /> installation program. <br /> Chief Dunphy then provided a breakdown of the department's run totals pre- and post-COVID. <br /> He noted that the department usually ran upwards of 7,000 calls for service a year before the <br /> pandemic, but numbers dropped as people wanted to avoid hospitals due to the spread of COVID. <br /> Run totals are trending upwards and are approaching pre-pandemic levels. He then spoke about <br /> specialized training that Lakewood's members partake in to help staff the Westshore Technical <br /> Rescue team. He added that he and his team are working to increase capacity for the fire <br /> investigation unit. <br /> Chief Dunphy then spoke about how the 2023 Fire Department budget would be used to beef up <br /> fire prevention inspections and add equipment to Station 41 to outfit it as an interdepartmental <br /> command center for major storms and incidents in the community. <br /> Chair Shachner asked whether Lakewood Hospital funds could be used by the Fire Department to <br /> support EMS services. Director Rancatore indicated that the Hospital funds that were being used <br /> to support personnel were moved into the general fund. <br /> Councilmembers then asked questions regarding funding for the community paramedic program <br /> and fire prevention staffing at special events and local bars/restaurants. Chief Dunphy stated that <br /> members of his department are constantly networking and working with the city's grant writer to <br /> find alternate funding opportunities. He noted that the department has engaged local bar and <br /> restaurant owners through a letter issuance program. <br /> Councilmember Bullock asked about overtime trends and efforts to increase diversity in the <br /> department's ranks. Director Rancatore stated that there were $310,000 in overtime costs in 2022, <br /> with an expected amount of$267,000 to occur in 2023. Chief Dunphy stated that he and the mayor <br /> monitor and control expenses as best as possible, noting that injuries occur due to the physical <br /> nature of the work and that can prevent full staff availability. He also shared that his department <br /> is seeing fewer applicants than it has in the past, mirroring nationwide police application trends. <br /> 5 <br />