‘Uncalled for’: Police chief and councillor at odds over WRPS budget

It’s a hot issue every year and is no different this time around.

How much taxpayer money should be put aside for Waterloo Regional Police?

Police Chief Mark Crowell presented the just over $252 million police budget to regional councillors on Wednesday.

Those numbers include the hiring of 18 new officers and work out to be an 8.56 per cent or $24.1 million increase from last year.

Councillor Rob Deutschmann spoke up numerous times following the chief’s presentation, taking issue with how police staffing levels and overtime are reported, claiming the chief has not been transparent

“Why have you moved to less transparency and reporting on WRPS staffing and hiring and continue to not disclose those numbers,” said Deutschmann.

“On this issue you’re moving in the direction on less information and less transparency. On the very issue that is the single largest point of contention as we review the budget and your request for more staffing.”

The chief responding to those comments, saying he strongly disagrees with the way Deutschmann has approached his concerns.

“Some of the language, Councillor Deutschmann, that you’ve used here, ‘less transparency, claimed, refused, disturbing,’ I believe these are uncalled characterizations for the work that we put in to reporting publicly with full transparency. And we may disagree on this point but on behalf of our members, our professional staff, we take great issue with you characterization of this.”

Crowell stressed that the police service isn’t hiding anything.

“We have fulfilled our obligations, to reach the staffing level which has been authorized. And we stand before you factually. So your characterization of our practices, I take great issue with.”

The police budget has already been approved by the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board.

Nearing the end of Wednesday’s discussions around the horseshoe, Regional Chair and Vice Chair of the Police Services Board Karen Redman called a point of order saying the talks were going down a “rabbit hole.”

“When the question ends with ‘and will you undertake to do better or different,’ I would tell you that that is not the purview of this council. That is the purview of the Chief of Police, his leadership staff, in concert of the board of WRPS.”

Regional council is set to pass the final 2025 budget, including the police numbers, on Dec. 11.