BRUSLY — The Brusly Police Department said that the number of calls it has received has more than doubled in the last year.

According to the department, from July 2024 to July 2025, it received around 530 calls. From July 2025 until now, the number of calls totals around 1,200, which amounts to a 125% increase.

Since Brusly is a small town of less than 3,000 people, it has a small police staff.

"Generally, we do have one officer assigned to each shift during the day. I'm out to assist with those numbers, and during the evening our lieutenant and detective stay out to assist with the calls," Brusly Assistant Chief of Police Thomas Southon said. "We have a very small community, so we get the smallest portion of the tax revenue, and we have to find ways to maximize what we can do with it."

With an increase in calls and a smaller staff, Southon said the department has found a unique way to combat this by building its own surveillance equipment.

"There's been a significant uptick throughout the parish. We're not unique in that aspect. Our numbers have gone up because we have had to assist some of the other agencies a little bit more," Southon said.

The equipment is a surveillance trailer fitted with multiple cameras that can be moved around the town.

Surveillance trailers like those used in cities such as Baton Rouge and New Orleans can cost 6 figures, so to stay within budget, Brusly officers got to work on making their own.

"We went to the state surplus, we picked up an old message board that used to be on the side of the interstate, and bought our own solar system, and our own cameras," Southon said.

The officers finished the trailer in just three weeks.

"I think all in we might just be creeping in on $9,000. We made sure we had enough room in our budget," Southon said.

The department first deployed the trailer earlier this month in the parking lot of a popular outlet just a few hundred yards from their station.

"The first time we used it was for the Cinco De Mayo event at Rio (cantina). Just a big crowd. We used that to supplement and have some extra surveillance, but we also had officers on standby there," Brusly Police Lt. Keegan Allen said.

Then, the police moved it over to Alexander Park.

"We had several reports of vandalism. Some kids were tearing up the turf fields. The pickleball courts had been damaged a little bit," Allen said.

Now, the department plans to use the surveillance trailer in several upcoming events and festivals.

"The football games, graduation, baseball games, and sporting events. We have a nice Christmas event. It'll be good for all of those things," Southon said.

One resident who wished to remain anonymous praised the system.

"I really think it's a good idea. People want to see everybody doing the right thing, just minding their business and minding the laws," the resident said.

The Brusly Police Department said it's also upgraded cameras on Highway 1 at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

"A police officer's great, and that's always the best option. Additional officers are part of the full service package," Southon said. "Additional officers come with additional benefits, salary, and payroll, so the cameras are 24/7. They operate on a much smaller scale of expenses, especially when we're able to do it like this," Southon told WBRZ.