Syracuse Common Council Meeting on Police Fleet and Command Post - August 11, 2026
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Syracuse Common Council Meeting on Police Fleet and Command Post
On August 11, 2026, the Syracuse Common Council met with the Syracuse Police Department to discuss several capital and grant requests, including a $1.75 million mobile command post, fleet vehicle replacements, and multiple law enforcement grants. Council members raised concerns about cost, operational necessity, and the city's transition to hybrid vehicles, while police officials emphasized the tactical and community engagement benefits of the command post and outlined obstacles to electrifying the fleet.
Discussion Items
Mobile Command Post Funding
- The police department requested an additional $1 million (on top of $750,000 already approved in the previous CIP cycle) to purchase a new mobile command post, with a total not-to-exceed $1.75 million. The department explained that the current command post (purchased around 2016 for approximately $1 million) has a rusting frame and limited interior space, and that the new unit would feature expandable sides to accommodate more personnel during critical incidents, festivals, and long-duration scenes.
- Council members questioned the frequency of use, the cost differential from the previous unit, and whether the city could rely on state or federal assets. Police officials stated they use the command post regularly for festivals, SWAT operations, barricaded persons, and community outreach, and that federal and state agencies do not typically bring their own command posts to local incidents. They also noted that the 1.7 million is a cap and the final cost will be determined through an RFP or state contract.
- Councilor Nave expressed frustration that chronic neighborhood issues (e.g., 800 block of Butternut Street) require a visible police presence now, not just a command post for emergencies. He urged using the command post for proactive neighborhood patrols. The police chief confirmed outreach teams and officers were already being deployed to that location.
- Councilor Caldwell and Councilor Wright asked about the $1 million MANION grant (county already received theirs) that the city expects to cover part of the cost. Police officials clarified it is a reimbursement grant and not yet finalized; they are still working with Eric Ennis on appropriation.
- Councilor Wright asked for a comparison of what other cities spend on similar units and requested data on how often the current command post is used. The department agreed to provide that information.
Fleet Vehicles and Hybrid/EV Transition
- Council members (including Rashida, Hannah, and others) pressed the police department to include hybrid components in the fleet vehicle request. They noted the city's climate study recommends transitioning to hybrid/electric vehicles, and that hybrid mechanics are now a standard skill set.
- Police officials responded that the current fleet request does not include hybrid options because of operational obstacles: patrol cars run 24/7 and cannot be charged, the garage lacks the infrastructure (charging stations, reinforced floors, lifts), and retaining mechanics with EV training is difficult given higher private-sector wages. They also noted that the department currently has three hybrid cars that cannot use the hybrid feature due to lack of charging stations and trained mechanics.
- Councilor Hannah stated she was not interested in approving a fleet that does not include a hybrid component, and asked for a plan to incorporate charging infrastructure in future parking garage projects. Police officials indicated they could include EV chargers in the planned parking garages, but that would require a separate capital project.
- Councilor Marty asked about the number of take-home vehicles (165) and the cost of gas. The city currently pays $2/gallon through municipal rates, but council members noted vulnerability to price shocks.
Grants and Other Items
- Item 51 (LETAC Grant - Law Enforcement Technology Grant): The department requested up to $400,000 for technology including Grey Key (phone access), cameras, drones, counter-drone tools, body-worn cameras, in-car modems, SWAT headsets, speed trailers, and Axon Translate. The application deadline is September 2. Council members asked for an itemized list and confirmed that cell phone extractions require a court order. The department agreed to provide a detailed list.
- Item 49 (JAG Grant - $75,000): The grant is shared with the county sheriff's office for soft target security supplies, such as anti-vehicle barriers and concrete planters. Council members expressed support and asked for a list of items.
- Item 52 (Camera Replacement Project): Appropriation of $400,000 for replacing and fixing the city's 500-600 surveillance cameras. The department stated that a recent shooting on Park Street was caught on these cameras, aiding the investigation. Council confirmed that only the police department has access to the camera feeds.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken during this discussion. The council is expected to consider the items at a future common council session, with the LETAC grant needing approval before the September 2 deadline.
- The police department agreed to provide supplementary data: a cost comparison of the previous command post, frequency of command post use, an itemized list of LETAC grant items, and a list of JAG grant items.
- Council members directed the department to explore including hybrid/electric vehicles in future fleet requests and to integrate EV charging infrastructure into planned parking garage projects. The police department acknowledged the request but reiterated the operational and financial challenges.
- Council members expressed appreciation for the department's work and noted recent increased patrol visibility in neighborhoods.
Meeting Transcript
Um the only assurance we have is the city is uh actively working on the grant from a man. I know the grant was already issued to the county and it was said previously that the county will have one million dollar grant and the city will also get one million dollar grant. So I don't have a definitive answer to say we're definitely getting it. I believe we are getting it. Um but I can't definitively say that. The way it works, though, is we'll have to budget and spend the money in the grant is in the form of a reimbursement. So that's what we have to ask for the additional one million dollars, and then once it's spent, um, we'll be in reimbursed. And the 1.7. So my understanding is when we did budget for the command post, it was we were going to allocate the cost over two years for a capital project for command post. So we initially asked for 750, and we were going to ask for an additional amount, and that brings us to the 1.7. If the grant comes through, potentially, depending on what the cost is, and that's not to say that we're going to land on the 1.7. That just gives us um it's gonna go through the RFP process, it's or be on state contract. So as we speak with vendors and we get quotes on how much it costs, it won't exceed the 1.7. Won't exceed it, okay. So one of my other questions, um, Marty, let me know if you have any questions. Yes. Is um, you know, deputy chief um said that one of the issues was uh that he brought up the rifle incident, right? Um so I guess my question is we had the FBI there, we had the state police there. Do they have command centers that they could bring to a scene? It just seems like why are we replicating um things that are already out there at a time when our city budget is at a crunch? Like why are we replicating what another agency may be able to allow us to use? Our answer is I have never in my 16, 17 years here, I've never seen the FBI um bring a command post out. They usually come to our command post. They don't have a large presence here in the city of Syracuse. They have a small contingent to deal with the FBI related incidents, and same with the state police, they've never brought in their command post to our area. Now they do have tools that we have used on different occasions, such as the Rook, but those are operational tools. The command posts serves as the central hub for everyone, and if it's our incident, we should bring our equipment to the incident. And sometimes we don't have the opportunity to delay so we can get our um command post there within 20 minutes, 30 minutes, just to get someone to the command post and get it on scene. Whereas if the state police bring theirs or any other entity, it could be ours, and that's if it's even available. We have no control over if there's another critical incident in the area where state police may be using their equipment and it's unavailable to us, and then we're left without having um counselor Caldwell and Councillor Um Erin Wright, we're talking right now about the command posts before we get into the vehicles. Um how many times do you foresee us using this um piece of equipment? Like we've I mean, I've only ever heard of it being used once, and that was recently, but how often do we actually use a command post? We use it pretty regularly. Um a lot of the festivals we'll bring it down and have it set up in case there is a critical incident at a festival, it's already set up and we have a presence there, as well as any time there's a barricaded person where we have to activate our SWAT team, we'll have the command post um available. So I don't have the exact numbers on an annual basis, but I can absolutely get that. No, that's okay. Just I was just curious if it to use more than once a year. You have a question. Thank you, madam chair. Um I had a question about so um my understanding now is that this command post was always gonna cost 1.8 million dollars. That's the top limit of it. That's the top, yeah. But if we approve this amount, it would be at 1.75. So where are you getting the rest of it? Well, I don't know where the 1.8 comes from. There's a 1.75, and that's a top limit. There's also we were just talking about um the manion grant, right? So our intention was to utilize the grant to cover the million dollars of it, and then we would fund the remaining um difference. So what's the stipulation in terms of that? We're still in the process of getting the grant.
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