St. Paul Police Department’s 2026 Budget Proposal: A Review of the Plan to Keep Vacant Positions Unfilled
The St. Paul Police Department has announced plans to keep 16 vacant jobs unfilled in the upcoming year, with nearly half of them being community engagement cadets, as part of Mayor Melvin Carter’s proposed budget. According to Police Chief Axel Henry, this decision will not result in the loss of jobs for current officers or other police department employees.
The proposed budget for the police department is $146 million, which is a $3 million increase from the previous year. The majority of the budget, approximately 92%, will go towards salaries and wages, reflecting the already-negotiated salary increases in the contract with officers. The department’s priorities include reducing gun violence and violent crime, and the chief reported that there has been a significant drop in major felony crime categories in the city.
Reducing Violent Crime and Overtime Spending
There have been eight homicides in St. Paul this year, compared to 19 at the same time last year, and 49 people have been injured in nonfatal shootings, down from 77 last year. This reduction in violent crime has resulted in lower overtime spending, with a 30% decrease in police overtime spending from the general fund for the first half of the year. The department has also shifted its focus to prevention, with officers working to compel individuals to seek treatment for drug addiction and mental health issues.
The police department has also seen success with its nonfatal shooting unit, which was established using one-time federal funding. The unit has improved the clearance rate for nonfatal shootings from 38% to 71%, and Chief Henry has stated that he will not disband the group despite the federal funding expiring at the end of 2026.
Budget Decisions and Staffing
The decision to keep 16 vacant positions unfilled will save the department approximately $1.4 million next year. Seven of these positions are community engagement cadets, who are young people in college on a pathway program to become police officers. While Chief Henry values these positions, he noted that difficult budget decisions had to be made. The department is also reducing the number of parking enforcement officers from 10 to 8, which could impact the city’s ability to manage parking during events and festivals.
The police department is authorized to hire up to 619 officers, but the actual number of officers on the payroll is currently 562. The department is expecting a “retirement boom” over the next three years, with 90 to 100 officers reaching retirement age. To address the shortage, the department is recruiting new officers and plans to hold a third training academy in October, although there is no funding earmarked for two academies in next year’s budget.
For more information on the St. Paul Police Department’s 2026 budget proposal, visit Here
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