Palm Springs City Council setting aside approximately $70 million in city’s budget for public safety

About a third of Palm Springs' newly approved budget is going towards the city's fire and police departments.

This new budget shows the that the city wants to invest in public safety. Combined, the fire and police departments will receive about $72 million from the $230 million budget.

The Palm Springs Police Department is receiving $45.4 million in city funding to help them hire three new officers, along with a crime analyst and crime technician.

Lt. Gustavo Araiza also tells me the department had to pull some officers from downtown to serve other areas, but the new funds will help the department get fully staffed.

"The additional funding is going to help us better interact with our homeless community, because we'll have more staffing out in the field, and get out there and be able to try to develop that trust, so that our homeless community can take the resources that are provided through the city," says Araiza.

The new funds will also help the department recruit new officers, "Our city has become competitive in the sense that they're willing to provide a $30,000 bonus to those officers that qualify and want to come over and work for the city of Palm Springs," shares Araiza.

Palm Springs Fire Department is receiving $27 million dollars from the city's budget to hire 9 new firefighters.

Cpt. Nathan Gunkle says that hiring new firefighters is going to help immensely with medical aid calls, along with tending to fires.

"The national standard is for every two people that are inside a structure on a fire, we have to have two outside. So in the past with three people, we had to wait for a second engine to get there, to have enough personnel to go in and now we won't have to wait anymore. We're not going to have any delay of going in and making a rescue, and possibly saving a life," says Gunkle.

He also says the newly approved budget is a reflection of the community's support.

"The community came together, they helped vote for this to help make it happen. They all saw the need for it. It's gonna benefit everyone, the fire department and the people we serve every day," says Gunkle.

The Palm Springs Police Department is also using $3 million dollars from their budget to help them conduct a staff report.

The research is going to help the department evaluate areas where they may need more assistance.