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01/08/2024 02:48 PMA referendum meeting has been called for Monday, Jan. 22 to allow voters to approve or reject an appropriation of $98,790 to hire the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to conduct a study of the police department to help address staffing issues. Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. in the Old Saybrook High School gym.
At a Board of Finance (BOF) meeting on Dec. 5, the board voted to approve a recommendation from the Police Commission and Board of Selectmen to hire PERF to conduct a study of the Old Saybrook Police Department (OSPD) with a focus on retention and recruiting.
While the boards approved the measure, residents still must approve the appropriation at the referendum.
The referendum is open to anyone who owns property valued over $1,000. Absentee ballots will be available in the Town Clerk’s Office.
The Issue
In the summer, Old Saybrook Chief of Police Michael Spera gave a presentation to the Police Commission on what he termed a “crisis” facing the department: the staffing level.
At that time, there were 17 officers on the department roster. In the months since the presentation, the staffing level has remained well below the 25 authorized officer level the department aims for.
To remedy the issue, Spera recommended that the town negotiate with the police union to see if proposed incentives like a higher salary or increased benefits would help attract and retain quality officers.
However, before the town agreed to negotiate the proposal, which First Selectman Carl Fortuna said could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, Fortuna said he would like to see a study of the department done to ensure that the proposed incentives would fix the staffing issue.
“This study should benefit the taxpayers and the officers,” Fortuna said. He also reiterated that he felt a study was called for due to the amount of money requested for the department.
“On behalf of the taxpayers, we need to make sure if we make this investment, that it will stem the flow of officers that we are losing,” Fortuna said.
The idea of having PERF conduct a study of the department has not been without its detractors, though.
Prior to the BOF vote, Old Saybrook Police Sergeant Ryan Walsh and Master Sergeant Chris DeMarco read a letter into the record outlining concerns the union members had with the study.
Part of the stated concern was PERF’s proposal to interview officers who had left the department, which the union representatives said seemed to them like an attack on the department and chief.
Members of the BOF and Fortuna stated more than once that they did not mean to show any disrespect to the officers or chief but felt the study was needed before making a substantial investment in the department.
“It will be focused on those that are here and keeping them here,” Fortuna said of the study.