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Community Corner

City Finance Committee Discusses Cuts in Police Overtime Budget

The city manager's proposed budget reflects $110,000 less in overtime pay and two fewer officers than the police department requested for 2011-2012.

Meriden City Council’s Finance Committee met tonight in City Hall to consider City Manager Lawrence Kendzior’s proposed fire and police department budgets. Discussion centered on two line items in the police budget—overtime pay and the number of police positions to be funded.

Kendzior’s police budget funds $900,000 in overtime pay for 2011-2012. The police department requested just over $1 million. Kendzior explained that his numbers are based on the downward trend in overtime pay for the past several years. The city spent $1,193,709 on police department overtime in 2010 and $1,267,448 in 2009.

Overtime is difficult to budget, admitted Police Chief Jeffry Cossette. “You never really know what you’re going to have in crimes,” he said. For example, a single homicide over the Christmas holiday two years ago cost the city nearly $25,000 in overtime pay.

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In addition to cutting overtime, Kendzior also removed funding for two patrol positions. He budgeted for 120 officers rather than the 122 authorized positions, saving the city $91,437. Kendzior said he made that recommendation based on the fact that it has been difficult for the department to fill all of its authorized positions. If the department does reach that level, “we will find the funds somewhere,” Kendzior stressed.

The Meriden Police Department currently employs 118 officers, only 108 of whom are currently on full active duty. Four officers are on disability leave, three are on light duty and three are deployed overseas in the military, according to Chief Cossette.

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Cossette also told the committee that the department is considering replacing its four school resource officers with retired police officers. Such a move would save about $25,000 per officer for a total of $100,000.

“It’s a new concept, and it’s working,” Cossette added. It has been tried in states like New Jersey, he said, but not yet in Connecticut.

The 2011-2012 police budget also contains funding for a canine unit, Cossette revealed, something that has been missing in Meriden for years. In the past, aggressive dogs proved to be an insurance liability. But the department is planning to acquire a non-biting dog for narcotics detection and tracking.

All told, the proposed police budget totals slightly more than $11.7 million—nearly $282,000 less than the department requested. The fire department budget totals about $8.3 million—just under $30,000 less than requested.

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