Geneva City Council opened its 2027 budget review this week with a detailed look at the police department, where staffing shortages, a proposed deputy chief position and a sharp rise in arrests dominated the discussion.
Police Chief Ronald Eveland told council the department currently has five vacancies and could enter 2027 with six if another officer transfers to a nearby agency. His plan is to hire four officers for next year’s Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy while intentionally leaving one position unfunded. The city’s website identifies Eveland as police chief and Nicholas Bielowicz as road patrol lieutenant, whose anticipated retirement next year is helping drive the department’s proposed command restructuring. (City of Geneva)
Eveland said he wants to create a deputy chief position early in 2027, not as an assistant to the chief but as part of a broader restructuring intended to prepare the department for retirements and strengthen supervision.
Bielowicz is eligible to retire in June, according to Eveland. The chief said he would then promote a new lieutenant and place that position on an evening and night schedule, where many of Geneva’s least experienced officers currently work.
Fourteen members of the department have fewer than five years of experience, Eveland said, and three more possible retirements are expected in 2028, involving a sergeant, school resource officer and detective assigned to drug enforcement.
Eveland said the goal is to avoid reaching a point where retirements force large amounts of overtime or leave younger officers without experienced supervision.
Council members also pressed the chief on the department’s workload.
Geneva police made 477 arrests in 2022, 522 in 2023, 656 in 2024 and 647 in 2025. Through Monday’s meeting, Eveland said the department had already made 552 arrests in 2026 and could finish the year in the mid-700s if the current pace continues.
Even a relatively straightforward arrest can take an officer off the street for 45 minutes to an hour, Eveland said, with more complicated cases requiring substantially more time for evidence processing, paperwork and transportation to centralized arraignment.
Mayor Jim Cecere asked for a deeper analysis of what is driving the increase, including whether mental health, substance use or other issues are contributing and whether some calls could ultimately be handled differently.
Eveland said domestic violence offenses, including violations of orders of protection, had recently increased and agreed that the arrest data deserved a more detailed review.
The chief also pointed to drug enforcement as an area where the department has increased activity. Geneva police conducted 435 narcotics investigations in 2025, nearly double an earlier level after the department began assigning a detective to assist the drug unit while continuing other investigative duties.
The discussion came as the department tries to balance its workload with a younger workforce and tighter spending limits.
Eveland said the proposed budget includes about $17,000 for training, which he believes will be sufficient for 2027. He said the department continues to use free state and local training whenever possible but noted specialized instruction can quickly become expensive once tuition, ammunition, travel and lodging are included.
Several council members emphasized the importance of having veteran officers transfer knowledge before they retire.
Eveland said he wants to create more formal shadowing and development opportunities, allowing promising officers to spend time learning supervisory and investigative roles before they’re promoted.
The department is also proposing two new patrol vehicles in 2027 as part of what Eveland described as an effort to maintain a younger and more reliable fleet.
Three marked patrol vehicles approved in the previous budget have still not entered service after problems with a new equipment installer. Eveland said the city eventually retrieved the unfinished vehicles and returned to its former vendor, with the goal of having all three completed within roughly eight weeks.
He said the department is moving away from Dodge vehicles after repeated maintenance problems and plans to standardize more of the fleet around Ford models.
The budget also includes a roughly $70,000 investment in Axon artificial intelligence technology aimed at reducing the amount of time officers spend writing reports.
Eveland said the technology could return officers to patrol more quickly and includes translation capabilities through body-worn cameras. The department has already tested that translation feature and received positive feedback, he said.
Council also discussed the city’s recently adopted e-bike ordinance. Eveland said enforcement has begun but has so far focused largely on education.
The department created a new call classification with the Ontario County 911 Center so e-bike incidents can be tracked separately going forward. Officers have also been provided educational material to distribute during stops.
School resource officers will remain part of the department’s staffing plan. Eveland said two officers are assigned to Geneva schools each day, with much of their cost reimbursed by the school district. During summer months, those officers return to road patrol duties.
The broader question of shared police services also surfaced again.
Councilor Christopher Lavin said rising costs may eventually require the city and neighboring agencies to reconsider whether every department can continue providing every service independently. Detective services and other specialized functions have previously been raised as possible areas for regional cooperation.
City officials said those discussions haven’t resulted in a specific proposal.
A separate topic involved the possibility of hiring a citywide grant writer. Eveland said such a position could benefit the department because police staff don’t have someone dedicated to finding, writing and managing grant applications.
The department’s current grant searches are generally handled alongside other responsibilities.
Council members did not make changes to the police proposal Monday night, although several indicated they were comfortable with the department’s current approach.
The workshop was the first in a series of departmental budget reviews. Geneva’s next budget session is scheduled for Sept. 28, when council is expected to turn its attention to the fire department.
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