Police Chief defends department's overtime expenses
By:Jennifer Misthal, Journal Inquirer
03/16/2006
EAST WINDSOR - Police Chief Edward J. DeMarco defended his department's overtime expenses to the Board of Finance Wednesday night, explaining there are few viable options to minimize such costs in the future.
The board sent DeMarco a letter dated Feb. 28 requesting his appearance at the meeting in order to review the Police Department's spending in certain areas such as overtime.
The department has already exhausted its funds allocated for overtime pay for the current fiscal year, ending June 30, which Finance Board Chairman Paul Catino said is a concern for the board.
For the 2005-06 fiscal year, the Police Department has already used up its fixed and variable overtime budgets, which total $164,424. According to DeMarco, the Police Department has just crossed over the limit and there are still 3½ months left to the fiscal year.
The purpose of the meeting was to trace the department's budget decisions, Catino said, and help the chief in making future decisions.
In response, DeMarco invited Catino to come down to the Police Department to do just that.
Armed with piles of papers documenting overtime, DeMarco sat before the board for nearly two hours in what occasionally was a contentious conversation between himself and Catino.
For the current fiscal year, the department allocated about $59,000 for fixed overtime, which First Selectwoman Linda Roberts said today covered holidays and other occasions when the department knew it would need extra personnel.
Another $105,424 was allocated for variable overtime this year, which Roberts said is used toward emergencies and vacations.
With a staff of 26 officers to patrol a town of about 10,000 people, the department is required to have either a minimum of two or three officers - the number fluctuates due to the day of the week - on duty for each of its three daily shifts, which last eight hours, DeMarco said.
If an officer calls in sick and the shift is then below its required minimum, the department is forced to pay an officer overtime to cover that shift, he said.
"Overtime puts a strain on people. They like the money ... but it also has a negative impact," DeMarco said.
Last year, 30 percent of the department's shifts were staffed with only two officers, DeMarco said.
These shift-minimums were imposed by the department, Captain Bernard Duffy said today.
If five officers are working and one calls in sick, DeMarco said the department does not fill that vacancy because the shift is above the minimum requirement.
Although the department tracks overtime trends, DeMarco said, the officers working these shifts change.
Police are also faced with financial constraints in other areas of the budget, DeMarco said during the meeting, which makes it a challenge to meet the service needs the town demands. .
If the department makes any further cuts, the town will certainly feel the impact, DeMarco said, citing possible longer response times to calls, the elimination of the canine unit, which could all lead to potential risks to public safety.
"I can't give you what I can't pay for," he said.
In the Police Department's proposed budget for 2006-07, which is $2.4 million, the department has cut community initiatives and its fingerprinting program, and DeMarco said he is prepared to cut personnel if necessary, such as the school resource officer.
The department will no longer act as first responders for emergency medical calls, a unanimous decision made by the Police Commission at its March 8 meeting in order to cut costs.
The town experiences a heavy call volume that the department must answer, DeMarco explained to the board.
Already this year, the department received 4,024 calls, Duffy said.
Throughout the discussion, Catino reminded DeMarco that the budget is the law and deviations cannot be tolerated.
"I want to be a team player," DeMarco replied to Cantino. "Then you threaten me. I don't want to fight with you. Come work 8 to 4 with me and triage the calls."
The chief even suggested a regular meeting between the Finance Board and police officials to stay informed on department issues and expenses.
This is not the first time the relationship between Catino and DeMarco has been strained.
Catino remarked last spring that the department had too much free time if it could investigate a complaint between
Roberts, a Republican, and Selectman Thomas Sinsigallo, a Democrat, after Sinsigallo removed documents from Roberts' office in April.
Catino, a Democrat, then refused to endorse the department's request to promote a sergeant to a lieutenant's post.
©Journal Inquirer~2006
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