Fresno police chief proposes $1.9 million budget for department

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno leaders are continuing to review the city's budget proposal. On Tuesday, they focused on the Fresno Police Department.

Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama's proposal totals more than $1.9 million.

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.

"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.