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08/28/2018 02:58 PMDoes Old Saybrook have the right amount of staff on its police force, and is the command structure exactly what the town needs? After two years of discussion at the Police Commission table and in meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Police Study, the town is getting ready to commission a study to get the answers.
A consensus now has been reached about which questions an outside consultant should answer in its assessment of the town’s Police Department. On Aug. 14, the Board of Selectmen concurred with the Police Commission that the Request for Qualifications and Proposals (RFQ/RFP) is ready for release.
“The study will answer the question of how many cops do we need and tell us what our structure should look like. It will be [a comprehensive] look at all personnel necessary to perform the functions we do and have to perform” as a police department, Police Chief Michael Spera told the selectmen. “I’ve been very clear that no matter what happens, the town has to follow the [study’s] direction.”
He acknowledged that such a plan might need to be implemented over several years.
Spera said that he and the Police Commission and First Selectman Carl Fortuna, Jr., will screen the initial RFP submissions. Submissions will be assessed using the evaluation criteria printed on page 8 of the RFQ/RFP. Those finalists whose proposals with higher scores would be interviewed.
The town and the Police Commission expected to post the RFP/RFQ on Aug. 20. Interested consulting firms would need to submit their responses to the town by Oct. 1.
“This RFQ/RFP has been endorsed by the entire Police Commission and the two unions,” said Spera. “This is a great example of a tremendous collaboration.”
The RFQ/RFP on states that “[t]he goal of the review is to analyze the organizational structure and staffing of the Department of Police Services and to provide recommendations based on criteria listed within this document. The review, its findings, and recommendation(s) shall not be an evaluation of any member of the Department of Police Service’s performance nor may it serve as the sole basis for employee discipline. The review may provide findings, conclusions, and recommendations that will improve the department’s effectiveness and create new efficiencies.”
The consultant is charged to provide in its final report the optimal organizations chart for the department, including the number of personnel, both sworn and civilian assigned to each named position and which details the duties/tasks to be assigned to each position. The report also would include an organization chart of the current department and compare it to an optimal structure. Finally it would “create action plans, methods, and proposed time-lines to migrate from current practices to optimal practices, prioritizing safety, operational effectiveness, and efficiencies...”
A fiscal note addressing both short and long term effects are to be included for each recommendation.
Interviews of consultant finalists will likely begin in October.