Salt Lake City could add 27 new police officers — a six percent staffing increase –—under a proposal before the City Council for initial review Tuesday.
The new hires, which also include a handful of support and social worker positions, carry a price tag of $5.2 million in the current fiscal year; $1.4 million would come from the department’s operating budget and the rest from reserve or inactive accounts.
The need comes as more officers and department resources have been diverted to carry out Operation Rio Grande, the three-month-old stepped-up policing and enforcement initiative around The Road Home homeless shelter downtown.