Jones has said the police department will add one officer immediately and promote another to sergeant. His goal: hire four officers and place one on the Butler County Drug Task Force.
When Jones learned the levy had passed late Tuesday night, he felt “very proud” of the residents for financially supporting the police department at a time when law enforcement is being scrutinized nationally.
“Our officers deserve to be safe and our residents need to feel safe from this drug epidemic,” Jones said referring to heroin.
Since Trenton is located between Hamilton and Middletown, it has been a popular location for illegal drug activity, Police Chief Arthur Scott has said.
“We’re in the middle so a lot of things pass through here we don’t have the capacity to deal with,” he has said.
Some of the $897,000 generated by the levy will also replace or upgrade equipment like police cruisers, some of which are more than 10 years old, officials said.
The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $180 a year, according to Scott.
Jones said that’s a small price for the overall betterment of the community.
“This will help us fight the battle,” he said.
State budget cuts have lowered the city’s general fund by almost $200,000 per year, Jones said. There are 13 people on the police force serving the city’s population of 12,500, he said. That’s down from 17 officers a decade ago when there were about 4,500 fewer people to protect. The city’s annual police budget is $1.8 million.
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