The Fiscal Unit oversees day-to-day budget issues for the entire Police Department, and manages the Department's budgeting part in the City's process on an annual or biannual basis.
Budgeting is a process that requires the Police Department to estimate the amount of money that will be needed to operate during an identified, future time period. These estimates are examined by the appropriate legislative body which decides whether to allocate the requested amount of money or an amount they consider to be sufficient for the efficient operation of the agency.
The budget is an important statement of a law enforcement agency's policy. It is a plan of action expressed in financial language, structured to include estimates for items necessary to keep the agency functioning.
The budget process is also a widely used instrument of managerial control. Control, however, means more than just accuracy in accounting for expenditures. Properly handled, the budget process can be used as a tool to ensure that the agency's objectives are being met in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible.