Police under pressure in tough economy

WINSTED — It has been a challenging year for the Winchester Police Department.

For the past several months the department has been short two fully trained officers. The department generally seeks to have 23 uniformed officers; it now has only 21.

The manpower shortage has led to a spike in the department’s overtime costs, police Chief Nicholas Guerriero said, as officers must now continually fill the holes left by the staffing gap.

But that gap will soon be bridged.

Two new recruits hired by the town are expected to complete their required training and become certified uniformed officers with the department in the next few weeks.

Although both men graduated from the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden earlier this year, the recruits must also complete several weeks of field training while working under the guidance of a senior Winchester police officer.

During this period, the probationary candidates are not allowed to have contact with the public without being accompanied by, and under the supervision of, a senior training officer.

Currently, both recruits are in the final stages of their field training, Deputy Chief Robert Scannell said, and their probationary period with the department is expected to end the middle of next month.

“Right now is the time when they see what it is all about,� Scannell said of field training, adding that it generally takes about 10 to 12 months from the date of hire before a new recruit is ready to patrol a beat and answer calls.

With the nation and the city still navigating through tough economic times, Guerriero said he understands why some town officials and residents have voiced their concerns about the department’s overtime costs.

The police chief said there are only three reasons why an officer can earn overtime: a necessary investigation of a crime, an emergency or filling a shift.

But Guerriero pointed out that according to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) the town currently maintains with the police union, there must be at least three uniformed officers — each of whom is covered under the CBA contract — out on patrol at any time.

This means that a third officer must be called in to fill a shift if there are only two available for patrol during any given time period.

“Also, the deputy chief and I can’t take an officer’s place,� Guerriero said, referring to filling the department’s staffing gaps. Both men maintain their own individual employee contracts with the city.

Being down two officers has strained the department in ways other than the bottom line.

Over the past few years, the number of criminal arrests Winchester police make on average has almost doubled. According to Guerriero, the department made 488 criminal arrests in 2004. Last year it made 853.

“And that eats up our man hours,� he said, adding that each time an arrest is made an officer is taken off the beat to process the suspect and fill out the required paperwork.

The number of incident calls the department receives and must respond to has also risen over the last several years. In 1998, Winchester Police had 25 officers and responded to 9,174 calls. Last year, they responded to 11,171 calls with 21 officers.

“And as the calls go up, directed patrols go down,â€� Guerriero said of the proactive,  targeted patrolling of key areas to deter criminal activity in town.

In addition to the new recruits coming online, Guerriero said he has taken other measures to “shut off the spigot for overtime.�

The department recently suspended its involvement in the regional emergency response team, as well as its participation in a regional accident investigation and traffic enforcement team with Thomaston and Torrington.

Winchester’s DARE program in the city’s schools was also suspended until additional funding becomes available.

“There are things that are of a tremendous benefit to the town,� Guerriero said of the suspended programs. “And these are deep cuts that affect the services we can provide to the public.�

The Winchester Police, however, have received some financial relief in other areas. The department is slated to receive $50,000 in federal and state grants this year.

The money, made available to the department through the Federal Stimulus Package, will be used to replace 10 of the headquarter’s aging computers, as well several mobile data terminals used on patrol.

In addition, video cameras in the police station’s cell block, garage and “intoxilator room� (the area where those suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are processed) will soon be equipped with audio recording capability.

“That was equipment that we couldn’t have had because the town can’t afford it,â€�  Guerriero said. “It was a lifeline to us.â€�