Police chief reports equipment upgrades, Citizens Police Academy and new cell‑phone evidence software

The Fort Thomas Police Chief briefed council on department activity and technology purchases, including equipment and training updates.

The chief said two e-bikes funded by the council were added to department resources and that the department's take‑home fleet is about 80% complete. He also reported the department is roughly 50% through implementing new body‑camera systems that integrate with existing in‑car and Taser systems. The K‑9 unit is trained and operational, the chief said.

A notable procurement was a cell‑phone evidence‑download program the department purchased to reduce turnaround time for extracting data from phones taken in evidence. The chief said the department previously relied on the county for downloads and that those requests could take months; having local capability speeds investigations and allows the department to assist other agencies on larger cases.

The chief also reported the Citizens Police Academy remained successful and that other technology and optics upgrades were completed last year. The items were presented as informational; no council votes tied directly to the purchases were recorded in the transcript fragment provided.