The Police Commission chair reiterated the reasons for the upcoming study of the Old Saybrook Police Department (OSPD) study conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) at a meeting on Feb. 26.

In January, Old Saybrook voters overwhelmingly approved, by a 705-74 margin, using an appropriation of $98,790 to hire PERF to conduct a study of the OSPD. The study would focus on the ability of the department to retain and recruit officers in light of an ongoing staffing issue.

At the meeting on Feb. 26, Police Commission Chairman Alfred Wilcox took a few minutes to reiterate why he agreed the study was necessary.

Wilcox explained that after Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael Spera identified potential solutions to the staffing issue, which the commission endorsed, First Selectman Carl Fortuna wanted to have a study done to ensure those suggestions would fix the issue.

“This is not to say that the Chief was wrong in his suggestions or that the Police Commission was wrong in unanimously endorsing many of those suggestions. It is just today that, as the person ultimately responsible for the Town’s collective bargaining agreements, I understand fully why the First Selectman would want significant due diligence before committing to a very expensive fix, that it would indeed produce a fix, and that nothing short of that would do so,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox said that while the Police Commission offers elected oversight of the OSPD, the members themselves are not experts on policing issues, and thus, using a consultant to provide independent oversight made sense to him.

Originally, the Board of Selectmen recommended using another firm, while the Police Commission recommended using PERF. Wilcox explained the reasoning for that change, too.

“Because PERF’s proposal comes down to talking with the elected officials of the town as to what they expect, talking with present and former members of the OSPD as to their professional expectations and experiences, and making an assessment as to how all those expectations mesh with each other and reality, focusing especially on the issues of recruitment and retention,” Wilcox said

Wilcox concluded by saying he hoped that now that the study had been approved, everyone would proceed with professionalism regardless of their previous concerns about it.

“With all that as preface, I’d like to conclude by just expressing my sincere hope that everyone in town government and the OSPD will cooperate enthusiastically and fully with the PERF consultants. PERF is here to help the entire department help all of us, and we all need to help them do just that,” Wilcox said.

The Issue

The study’s motivation dates back to a presentation given by Spera during a summer police commission meeting.

Spera explained to the commission that he was extremely concerned about the department’s staffing level. At that time, there were 17 officers on the department roster. Spera and other community members have pointed out that other departments across the state and country are also facing staffing issues, meaning Old Saybrook’s problems may not be unique.

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.