Police Commission Seeks Five New Officers

By Marianne Sullivan
Published on 12/16/2004

The Police Commission has submitted its proposed budget for the next fiscal year and included in it is a request for five new police officers. This fiscal year the Police Department includes 24 officers, down from 28 positions of the previous year. Since that reduction, a majority of the commission and Police Chief Paul Jakubson have been seeking additional officers. Three months ago it formally requested approval from the Board of Selectmen to hire three more patrolmen. In a special joint meeting of the commission and the selectmen, they were told their request would be considered during the budget process for the next fiscal year. Five new officers would bring the department's total to 29, one more than that authorized previously. The reduction to 24 officers this fiscal year proved controversial. The town offered an early retirement incentive to veteran officers in the department and two accepted. A third officer, Donald Lanuoette, was allowed to resign before completion of an internal affairs investigation. The fourth accepted a position with the Clinton department. Since that time Jakubson and the Police Commission have been monitoring the department's overtime budgets. They contend the reduced manpower requires additional overtime in order to properly cover all shifts. At its Dec. 9 meeting, Jakubson told the commission the department's overtime budget was 78 percent expended, although more than six months remain in the fiscal year. At the same meeting Jakubson told the commission that two officers were now on extended medical leave. One officer continues to recover from injuries incurred in a vehicle accident more than a year ago. A second was recently injured off the job. It is not clear when either will be able to return to work. The chief said he has responded by placing the department's youth officer back onto regular patrol duty. The two injured officers illustrate the problems faced by the department when its manpower levels are so low, Commissioner William Nicholls said. "It leaves us absolutely no wiggle room," he added. The department's 2005-2006 proposed budget shows an overall increase of from 11 to 12 percent. It includes increases recommended in overtime accounts. "If the department gets five more officers, then these accounts can be reduced accordingly," Jakubson said. The proposal includes a $16,000 increase for vehicle maintenance; purchase of scanning equipment for fingerprints, a one-year cost of $7,200 on a six-year purchase agreement; $9,000 for a new copy machine; $160,000 for the purchase of new mobiles and portables, part of a plan for radio communications improvements; and four new marked cruisers. The commission approved the proposed budget on a 4 to 1 vote. Commissioner Emile Geisenheimer, who voted against it, asked, "Does anyone on this commission think the boards of selectmen and finance will approve a budget with a 12 percent increase? I don't."