By Marianne Sullivan
Published on 5/19/2005
With Police Chief Paul Jakubson expected to be out on medical leave for at least the next two months, the Board of Police Commissioners last week named Lt. Robert Stimpson as acting chief. The move, Police Commission Chairman Robert Cerosky said, was an emergency appointment allowed under the commission's own policies and procedures. The appointment will be effective during the chief's medical leave. Jakubson has recently undergone surgery. Lt. Stimpson is one of four lieutenants in the Police Department and has been serving as the administrative lieutenant. Lieutenants are the next level of administration below the police chief. The lieutenants are members of the department's police union. The department does not have a deputy chief position--a debate now being waged between the commission and the boards of selectmen and finance. Cerosky said Stimpson will serve as acting chief without a change in pay. "He will assume his work load and the chief's work load. He is expected to distribute the work responsibilities appropriately. Things will be prioritized," he said. "To protect the town, the commission believes the department needs an acting chief in the absence of Chief Jakubson. Because Lt. Stimpson maintains his union membership, the commission will be making management decisions in the absence of the chief while the lieutenant will be handling administrative issues," Cerosky explained. Because Stimpson remains a member of the police union while serving as acting chief, the commission has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the union. In that memo, the union and the commission agree to a temporary adjustment in the grievance procedures and bringing grievances directly to the commission. "In order to act in a timely manner as required by law, we needed to take this step," Cerosky said. At last week's commission meeting, Commissioner Michael Heaney said he believed the temporary appointment and the agreement with the union were necessary steps "but personally I'm not very happy about it." He contended the commission has acted responsibly in attempting to establish a deputy chief's position, a second in command for the department and a position outside the union "but we have been blocked at every step." He added, "I don't want to overstate it, but this is a risky situation, and I am personally not very happy about it." The Police Commission had requested a line item in its budget for the upcoming fiscal year that would allow for the creation of a deputy chief's position. The necessary funds were cut by both the Board of Selectmen in its recommendation and the Board of Finance in its final budget proposal to the town. Cerosky agreed. "We really don't have a full second in command. Although we have an understanding with the union on grievance procedures, it does not relieve this commission or the town of having a responsible leader in position should something happen. The acting chief does not have the full power of a chief in his absence. This is an emergency appointment...a temporary agreement between the commission and Lt. Stimpson...The need for a deputy chief is clear, I think." The commission, the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance have agreed to meet in a joint session May 31 at 7:30 p.m. to hold a full discussion on the topic of a deputy chief.