Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama's proposal totals more than $1.9 million.
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The chief said about $991,000 of that money would go into the department's general fund, which would pay for 12 additional sworn police officers and 19 staff members.
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Council members questioned the police chief's hiring goal and whether the department is lowering standards to meet that requirement.
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"The standards are the same, we are focused on being an equitable city, where we give people an opportunity to be a police officer, and as I said before, an officer should mirror his community," Balderrama told the council.
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The rest of the police department budget proposal would go toward paying for new vehicles, field service equipment, and the ShotSpotter program's expansion.