ARLINGTON – If the city council adds a new police officer position in the budget through a federal Justice Department grant, Arlington’s Proactive Anti-Crime Team (ProAct) could be reactivated in July.

The police department was awarded a $250,000 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant in 2015 to hire two police officers, requiring $343,637 in city matching funds over three years.

The city hired one officer, but funding for the second officer was not in the department’s 2017 budget allocation. The COPS grant will expire soon, which means the city would forfeit the $125,000 toward putting another officer on the street.

Police Chief Jonathan Ventura said they have two experienced police candidates who could start in June. The successful officer would bring the department to 26 full-time officers.

Due to the economic downtown in 2008, the department lost funding for five full-time officers.

The city has since seen 6 percent population growth with property crimes on the rise, mostly vehicle prowls and theft tied to the homelessness issue and drug us.

Since February, patrol shifts have seen an upward trend in service calls, with 1,892 in February, 2,186 in March and 2,205 in April. Historically, the summer trend means a greater rise in service calls.

The added officer, combined with two recruits once they complete the basic police academy, would enable the department to resurrect the ProAct team that was suspended in 2016 due to staff shortages.

“The ProAct team is vital to our department’s success when it comes to addressing our community’s biggest concerns, particularly property crime, substance abuse, homelessness and mental health,” Ventura said.

The ProAct team comprises two detectives taken out of the 911 call rotation to target drug locations and top offenders.

Ventura said if the pieces fall into place, the ProAct unit would be on the job again by July 1.