Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse is speaking out about the department’s deepening financial and staffing challenges as the Metro Council prepares to vote on the 2025 city-parish budget. In a wide-ranging interview, Morse detailed how current funding levels fall short of what the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) needs to operate effectively — despite public claims that police budgets were not cut.
Morse explained that BRPD was asked to submit a zero-based budget outlining the minimum resources required for operations. The department calculated that need at just over $108 million. Instead, the proposed budget allocates roughly $98 million — far below the request and well under what the department says is necessary to keep pace with rising call volume, operational demands, and competitive pay. Nearly 90% of BRPD’s budget is tied to payroll and employee benefits, leaving only about $10 million for fuel, vehicle repairs, equipment, utilities, and critical technology like Axon body-worn cameras. Those expenses quickly outstrip available funds, Morse noted.
Staffing remains one of BRPD’s most urgent issues. The department has 542 officers on duty but is budgeted for 698, leaving more than 150 vacancies. Eighty of those positions are frozen and unfunded. With fewer officers handling a growing workload, overtime costs continue to escalate. Morse emphasized that low starting pay — around $40,000 — makes recruitment difficult when nearby agencies offer $55,000 to $65,000 and major cities like Houston offer $85,000…