$1.1M sought to hire police, civilian staff

01/12/2007

Angela Carter , Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — The aldermanic Finance Committee Thursday was considering the administration’s request for a $1.1 million budget amendment to allow the Police Department to fill 29 sworn positions and 26 civilian slots by June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. Chief Administrative Officer John Buturla, who supervises public safety departments, said the city would seek funding for 14 more positions after July 1.

The city wants to seat an academy class of 45 recruits by Feb. 20, with graduation sometime in August, Buturla said.

It is going to take about two years for the department to reach an optimum strength of 495 officers, and Buturla said it would cost about $3 million a year to sustain all of the new hires.

"My constituents want to know, ‘If I’m going to be paying more in taxes, am I going to see more cops?’" asked Hill Alderman Jorge Perez, D-5.

Buturla responded, "The short answer is ‘yes.’" The new officers would be deployed in walking, motorcycle and mounted horseback beats, he said.

Several aldermen were skeptical of the funding request, and Foxon Alderman Robert Lee, D-11, did not want to fill more than the 19 vacancies on record.

"I don’t think we can afford 45," Lee said. "We can’t keep putting a strain on the taxpayers’ backs."

Buturla said the more officers put on the streets, the better the department can handle crime.

"The numbers right now are too low to implement what we need to do," said police Chief Francisco Ortiz Jr.

Questions arose about current deployment and whether there are officers doing administrative duties who could be contributing to greater visibility on the streets.

Assistant Police Chief Stephanie Redding said filling civilian slots would help more officers into the neighborhoods.

Perez asked for a more specific breakdown of the budget line item that will be used to cover $1.1 million request.

Fair Haven Heights Alderman Alexander Rhodeen, D-13, could not attend the hearing but sent a letter to Finance Committee Chairman Sergio Rodriguez, D-26, saying he is "pleased that a renewed commitment has been made to community policing which will strengthen our neighborhoods," but also expressed concern the budget amendment might be premature, in light of budgetary constraints and other actions announced recently by the mayor regarding reassignments, getting illegal guns off the streets and anti-truancy efforts to help curb youth violence.

The city should first wait to see if the new initiatives are effective, he said. "Once the strengths and weaknesses of the department are assessed based on changes and the additional officers, Chief Francisco Ortiz can identify specific needs and we can take steps to meet them," he wrote.

Rhodeen also suggested waiting a year between recruitment drives instead of counting on the current pool to generate enough candidates for another class in the 2007-08 fiscal year. "I also hope we will consider a longer application period and that outreach to military personnel leaving active duty will be a cornerstone of that recruiting effort," said Rhodeen, a drill sergeant in the Army Reserve.

Angela Carter can be reached at 789-5614 or acarter@nhregister.com .