Police Budget 2023

In a recent interview, author Dave Meslin said that one of the ways to improve voter turnout and engagement is “to get people paying attention to the budget process every year — make sure that they feel involved and engaged in how their money is being spent.” With that in mind, this is the third post in my series on municipal budgets. I also shared some information on Budget Season and Understanding Municipal Budgets. Today’s post focuses on one segment of the Waterloo Region budget - the police budget.

First though, let’s take a quick look at some Regional Budget facts. 

• The Regional tax levy comprises an average of 55% of the residential property tax bill. 

• The total tax supported operating expenditure in 2022 was more than $1.1 billion with a Regional property tax levy of $617 million, of which, $196 million (32%) is for Police Services. 

• A 1% change in total regional taxes in 2023 equates to $6.3 million, representing an increase of $22 for a typical residence.

Every year, the Waterloo Region Police Services (WRPS) present a draft budget to the police board, often with several different scenarios proposed. The draft 2023 operating budget presented last fall outlined base spending of at least $209.8 million. That’s an increase of approximately 8% over the 2022 budget, and does not include any requested increases in new officers.

In one scenario, which would have resulted in an operating budget increase of over 13% (~$26 million), 55 new officer hires were requested. The lowest cost request for additional officers was for 8 more officers to be hired at a cost of nearly $16 million. (The final operating budget proposal ended up at $214 million, with the hiring of 19 officers in 2023).

Like other budgets, the police budget also includes a capital budget and the proposed budget for capital expenditures is nearly $25 million (That is over and above the $214 million operating budget). The WR Record notes that, “About half of the capital budget is earmarked for two major construction projects: finishing a new central branch at 200 Frederick St. in Kitchener and starting the design of a regional public safety communication centre.” The rest of the capital budget includes: police technology (a human resources system and new 911 technology) and upgrading the vehicle fleet. “The service expects to replace 57 vehicles, and increase its overall vehicle complement with the purchase of nine new cars.”

This graph shows the various categories of spending on capital projects.

Wages and benefits account for 81% of Waterloo Regional Police spending. Between 2014 and 2021, “the police board and regional council escalated compensation per average police employee by eight per cent, adjusted for inflation. This compares to an increase of one per cent for other municipal employees.”

Police claim the budget increase is necessary because “the region’s growth is outpacing the size of the force, and crime is on the rise.” The Region’s population has increased by approximately 30,000 people over the past two years and that results in a lower officer per capita rate. Though, I would ask, who determines what is an appropriate ‘per capita rate’ and do we think that rate is appropriate moving forward?

The Region’s staff report notes that, “Certain pressures will impact the Waterloo Regional Police Services 2023 operating budget, including escalating fuel prices and inflationary impacts on purchased services and goods.” The staff report also lists the following as significant drivers impacting the Police Budget: 

• Annualization of 35 new officers approved through the 2022 budget ($4.1M)  

• Annualized operating costs of the new Central Division at 200 Frederick Street  

• Contractual agreement compensation increases and increasing benefit costs  

• Strategic Business Plan objectives (such as Body-Worn and In-Car Video, Next Generation 911, Communications Centre and Human Resource Information System)  

At a recent police board meeting where the proposed budget was presented (and approved), we learned that the WRPS has 799 sworn members and 370 civilian members. The WRPS is the 12th largest police service in Canada and the 7th in Ontario.

At the meeting, Police Chief Mark Crowell outlined the request to hire new officers. He said that these new hires will allow the WRPS to focus more on: frontline patrol, intimate partner violence unit, special victims unit, and wellness. Crowell also outlined the desire to hire more officers over the next 2 years, requesting 18 new officers in 2024, and an additional 18 in 2025. If approved, that will mean an additional 90 officers hired over four years (2022-2025).

I watched that police board meeting and it left me disappointed in the entire process. My hope for that board would be as a place for regional councillors and citizen representatives to ask tough questions about policing and community safety. Instead, it seems to me our police board members all belong to the WRPS fan club. At that meeting, the WRPS presented an update on a pilot project about crisis calls. Not a single question was asked about this new approach. Isn’t the early stage of a pilot project the perfect time to ask questions? Additionally, in response to the police draft budget, responses from board members included: 

• “I am totally supportive of where this is going.” -Doug Craig

• “This was really well done. I think we all totally support and understand the perspective that’s being communicated in the budget discussion.” -Karen Quigley-Hobbs

• “I think we need to have a much higher complement than 19 officers.” -Tony Giovinazzo

Contrary to the impression you may be given after watching a police board meeting though, not everyone in our community wants more funding for policing. Recently, the African Caribbean Black Network of Waterloo Region shared a community letter which calls on councillors to “reject the proposed increase to the police budget and invest the equivalent of funding requested for policing to close the ‘dignity and opportunity gaps’ that exist in our communities.” The letter states that the request for increased police funding is, “a chance for the regional council to invest in services that help close the gap between the rich and poor. The council has an opportunity to make a "down payment" on these services by rejecting the police budget increase and using that money for community programs that improve people's lives.”

What might that look like exactly? The ACB Network has several suggestions, including: 

• Allocate $2 million for the enhancement of transit frequency and expansion of service coverage in low-income neighborhoods.

• Dedicate $1.5 million for the implementation of fare-free transit for K-12 students, individuals with disabilities, senior citizens, and low-income populations during peak hours.

• Allocate $750,000 towards BIR community-led mental health support and response programs that are rooted in cultural ways of understanding.

• Investing $500,000 in community-led intercultural transformative justice for BIR youth at risk of criminalization.

The letter concludes, “Instead of investing in surveillance and punishment, we should invest in community-led care and safety, opportunities for everyone, and programs that provide people with enough money to live on.”

Of course, the WRPS are well aware of dissenting voices such as this. In fact, Chief Crowell addressed this at the police board meeting. “We’ve anticipated that some voices will insist that police don’t prevent crime,” and that investment in policing will not help solve trends of violent crimes, he said. “I do want to address it because I believe it’s based on a premise that’s entirely false,” said Crowell. He argues that, “It is our citizens that are asking for our help. We require additional support to provide the level of service that is being demanded of us.” I’d suggest that when one service holds such a big piece of the budget pie, without offering much support for alternatives, that comes as no surprise. 

Where does that leave us exactly?

The police board unanimously approved the proposed police budget which translates to a 7.22% increase for the police portion of the regional tax bill. The board also approved a three-year budget plan to hire 55 more officers, including 19 in 2023. It still requires final approval from Regional Council though. And, as you will no doubt hear from councillors over the next couple of weeks, “The region has final say on the overall police budget but can’t dictate what’s in it. Council can either approve or not approve the budget or ask for reductions to be made.” 

Prior to final budget day decisions, there is the second (and final) public input session on the Regional Budget on February 8th, beginning at 6:30pm. If you have thoughts about the police budget specifically, or the regional budget as a whole, you can speak in-person or virtually, by registering as a delegate. If you are interested in delegating and have questions about that process, please feel free to connect with me.

Lastly, Chief Crowell presented the police budget to Regional Council this past Wednesday. I am still working my way through the recording of that meeting, but I will likely have a few updates on that discussion in an upcoming post. If interested, you can view the meeting here. As always, thanks for reading!