Page 28 - FY 2025 Adopted Operating Budget and Business Plan

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The Police Department (APD) is responsible for providing public safety services to nearly 400,000 residents and millions
of visitors who travel to Arlington each year to enjoy the city’s world class venues and amenities. APD is nationally recognized
as a leader in community policing, using a variety of innovative outreach programs to engage with community members and
build trust and legitimacy with all segments of the public.

Over the past several years, the department has made significant investments in technology and proactive policing initiatives
which are yielding positive results. In 2023, the city saw a six percent reduction in overall crime, including a 17 percent drop in
violent crime. Throughout FY 2024, the department has worked to build on that momentum.

During FY 2024, APD piloted an Unmanned Aerial Systems First Responder (UASFR) program to see how the technology might
help the department more efficiently respond to and clear certain types of calls for service, saving taxpayers money and freeing
up officers to respond to higher priority calls. It’s important to note that UASFR is not intended to be a replacement for a human
officer. It simply leverages the technology to help assess whether an officer response is needed – and if so, to help direct officers
to where they’re needed. For example, if a community member calls about a suspicious person, a UAS can quickly fly to that
area. Then, if the UAS operator is unable to locate anyone or determines that the person in question is not committing a criminal
offense, they can clear the call. The UASFR pilot program showed promising results, clearing hundreds of calls and reducing
average call response times by roughly half. The department is now in the process of implementing the program full-time. The
department continues to expand its use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), which have proven to be effective tools for
documenting crash / crime scenes, locating and apprehending suspects, searching for missing persons, and protecting visitors
during major events.

Traffic safety remains a top priority for the department. In 2023, APD launched
its Safe Roads Initiative (SRI) which takes a holistic and data-driven approach
to combatting fatality and injury crashes. In addition to targeted enforcement of
crash hotspots across the city, SRI places a heavy emphasis on public
engagement and education related to traffic safety. During the first year of the
program, for example, the APD Traffic Division visited each Arlington ISD high
school for a poignant discussion with students about the dangers of drinking
and driving. In 2024, the focus of the SRI has expanded to include increased
nighttime enforcement, team enforcements with neighboring agencies, and
greater contact with pedestrians. The department also started sharing SRI
efforts on its social media channels to give members of the public greater
awareness of the work being done. APD’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC)
recently moved into a newly renovated and larger space within the Ott Cribbs
Public Safety Center, expanding their capabilities to provide valuable real-time
intelligence to officers and detectives in the field that can help them solve
crimes.

The Department of Public Works is comprised of the following divisions: Business Services, Construction Services,
Engineering Operations, Environmental Management, Floodplain Management, Information Services, Operations Support,
Stormwater Engineering, Stormwater Operations, Street Maintenance, Traffic Engineering, and Traffic Operations. These
divisions function together to design, build, and maintain street and drainage infrastructure and are responsible for mobility
optimization through traffic engineering and technological innovation, and provision of signals, streetlights, and regulatory signs
and markings. Public Works staff are also responsible for the quality of surface water in the City of Arlington by inspecting private
construction activities, municipal and industrial facilities that have the potential to impact surface water quality, and enforcement
of local, state, and federal water quality and environmental regulations.

In support of City Council’s priorities to Enhance Regional Mobility and Champion Great Neighborhoods, the department’s
Capital Improvement and Street Maintenance Programs are responsible for the infrastructure improvements and the
maintenance of a roadway network of over 3,000 lane miles, 23,607 streetlights, 44,747 roadway signs, and 4,245,278 linear

FY 2025 Adopted Budget and Business Plan 19 City of Arlington, Texas