Assistant Chandler Police Chief Jason Sieczkowski speaks during his department’s presentation at the City Council’s May 1 all-day budget briefing. Chandler Police's capital budget for fiscal 2027 is skewed somewhat by $60 million for the construction of its new forensic crime lab.
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CHANDLER POLICE BUDGET CHANGES
Operating budget and major capital projects
Fiscal 2026 (began July 1, 2025):
• Operating budget: $99 million
• Capital highlights: $8.3 million toward forensic lab construction
Fiscal 2027 (begins July 1, 2026):
• Operating budget: $103 million
• Capital highlights: $60 million toward forensic lab construction; $1.5 million in planning main station renovations; $487K drone program
Even without another signature capital project on the horizon, the Chandler Police Department is asking for more money in fiscal 2027, which starts in a few weeks.
The bulk of the construction cost of the city’s all-new forensic crime lab hits in the fiscal year ahead, with $60 million budgeted toward that project in fiscal 2027.
The budget year runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
The department’s main operating budget fell slightly last year but is set to rise from $99 million to about $103 million this year, reports state.
Department command staff and council announced and celebrated the full staffing of officers at CPD at a January Council meeting.
The department has about 540 total sworn officers and civilian staff combined, reports state.
Capital expenses next year also $1.5 million in the budget to study renovations to the main downtown police station.
“We don’t want to come back and tell you things are at capacity,” City Manager John Pombier said during the May 1 budget briefing about the expensive study. “We want a station that’s going to work for this chief and the chief after him and maybe the chief after that.”
Chief Bryan Chapman said he and Pombier are having “robust conversations” about what the renovation will entail.
Chapman also spoke about nearly $500,000 he wants in order to expand the department’s drone program.
He said while there are no plans to do much with drones south of Loop 202, where Chandler Municipal Airport is a proximity concern, drones will be more widely used in the downtown and Desert Breeze western areas of the city.
Inflation affects every Chandler department, with CPD trying to mitigate some of that by ordering needed equipment and supplies early and locking in prices, along with asking Council for the money to account for increases.
One example of this is a $150,000 one-time authorization only for increases in ammunition costs.
There are also needs to spend almost $500,000 on new CPD radio communication equipment and another $335,000 on the third phase of building out the Real-Time Operations Center, according to staff reports.
Not mentioned in the May 1 budget briefing was the proposed $153,000 extension to the department’s license plate reader camera contract with Flock Safety. The small-budget item was moved to a July meeting for action after dozens of Valley residents protested the city’s partnering with Flock at the May 21 Council meeting.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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