City manager discusses plan to hire more officers

Pueblo City Manager Sam Azad told City Council between two to six more police officers will be hired next year. That figure does not include filling the vacancies that occur when officers leave and retire.

Azad told council Tuesday night it’s unclear how many the city can afford since it’s waiting to finish negotiations with the police union next month. The union is asking for a 5 percent salary increase, while the city is proposing a 1.25 percent increase.

Azad said if the arbitrator sides with the city, the city could be looking at as many as six more officers. Otherwise, he said the city may only be able to afford two positions, which will be in lieu of filling a captain’s position that has been vacant for three years.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 asked Police Chief Luis Velez what changes the community can expect to see with the additional officers.

“While they’re certainly appreciated and we absolutely can use them, if we’re looking for some noticeable change in the way that the police department does things, we’re not going to see that,” Velez said.

The chief also said there may be a slight decrease in the department’s response time.

Currently, 13 recruits are going through the police academy, but won’t be able to start patrolling on their own until next April or May. Additionally, 14 officer positions remain unfunded.