The City of Hollywood Police Department will benefit from the recently passed City Budget. The Police Department will get 50 new cars at a cost of more than $2 million. The department will purchase Tahoe’s, Caprices and unmarked cars but it has not been determined how many of each car type will be purchased.
Because of previous budget problems, the police department is behind on the replacement of cars. “We will have newer cars and this will mean officers will not have to take their cars in for repairs and wait for a replacement. This will mean that officers can spend more time patrolling the streets and that is what Hollywood residents want,” said Lieutenant Derik Alexander.
Also, the Hollywood Police Department now has 12 officer positions open. The City approved six new positions and there are an additional 6 positions open. “We are looking for the best candidates and we want to get them through the Police Academy and on patrol in Hollywood,” said Alexander.
Hollywood Police Chief Frank Fernandez said he is eager to have more officers on the force. “I hear from residents that we need more police officers on the streets of Hollywood. Right now we have about 160 officers on patrol. I would like to have about 200 officers on the street,” said Fernandez.
Also, the Budget allowed for 300 CCTV cameras that will be placed around Hollywood. They will be installed in five phases and the first phase will be on South Federal Highway. They will help police track known criminals. “This will allow us to fight crime more effectively,” said Alexander.