ORDER-2021-62 : An appropriation from free cash, account (01-324001), in the amount of $55,300 to various police department accounts for costs associated with hiring new police officers.

Transcript (~7 min @ 2:38:15)

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▶ 2:38:19 Jeff McNaught: yes motion passes next up we have order 2021-62 an appropriation from free cash account 01-324-001 in the amount of fifty five thousand three hundred dollars to various police department accounts for costs associated with hiring new police officers i believe we have chief lyle with us tonight he's coming into the room here's chief i can hear you but i can't see you well you

▶ 2:38:48 Speaker 10: can't see me right can't see you now there we go good evening everyone good evening chief thanks

▶ 2:39:03 Speaker 10: for your patience sorry for the delay i've learned to have a lot of patience it's all good um this order is a transfer of funds requested for new hires we hired three officers they were originally supposed to get the academy last may and due to covet it was pushed out and eventually they dig it into the academy in july it was the low police academy um they had two delays believe it or not a cold that episodes in the academy so they didn't graduate until december 4th and they're about two weeks out from graduating the field training program that is three officers we are hiring additional three officers right now we have pending separations forthcoming and one later in the spring and the reason i say that is it takes approximately 10 to 11 months to put an officer on the road from the first day we get the list for a new hire from civil service interviews physical mental evaluations academy field training and then they're on the road so it is a long lengthy process i will point out that i've looked this as a couple times there's a 30 discrepancy here how a few folks have seen it on the order i've added my numbers up multiple times it comes out to 55 330 but on the order it says 55 300 anyone picked up on that

▶ 2:40:26 John N. Tramontozzi: and i'm available for questions um at this time we're going to take a motion to amend it to to uh are we going to do that and get to 55 330. uh no we cannot yeah yeah it's not right

▶ 2:40:38 Jeff McNaught: so i'm going to go to uh president sanella you had your hand up i'm going to go to you first

▶ 2:40:43 Christopher Cinella: Thank you, Chair McNaught. Thank you, Chief, for being here. Just wanted to address a constituent email that we all received last Friday, and basically he breaks down what was budgeted for the school year 21 and uniforms, radio system upgrade, training, ammunition, and relative to what was budgeted for each one of those seems to be very high percentage-wise for these three officers. So his question is, has there perhaps been more turnover of officers than anticipated, or are there COVID-related costs wrapped into the above that may be reimbursed? That's his question.

▶ 2:41:34 Speaker 10: Well, first, as far as the budget, we're budgeted approximately seventy thousand dollars a year it's actually sixty seven thousand dollars a year but we had offices go to motorcycle school this this past this um this past summer late spring um and there was equipment they had to be added into it helmets um bridges motorcycle boots um they're quite expensive so it went from sixty seven to seventy thousand dollars and that's a contract in 70,000 or 67,000 for an annual clothing allowance that is distributed in in july and january excuse me december so those are the numbers but as far as any additional this is the academy across i can run through the numbers if you would like um the the academy for lowell was three thousand dollars for for student behind three that was nine additional books, papers, there's another 550 per officer for a total of 10,650. Then there's uniforms, you have to buy academy gear, duty belts, boots, uniforms,

▶ 2:42:52 Speaker 10: running gear, equipment, hats, badges, and that all adds up to 6,587.70. Then there's additional supplies that we have to buy from AAA Police Supply, which is a ballistic vest for approximately $800 an officer.

▶ 2:43:08 Speaker 10: That total comes out with holsters, a range of qualification equipment, 6,687.50.

▶ 2:43:18 Speaker 10: And it all comes up to $32,986.38, and then the additional $22,340.18 is for the three new hires that were in the process now. One is going to the MBTA Academy. The other two were fortunate. They're both going to a police academy. They'll be sworn in in the coming days. Their costs are, you know, about $10,000 less.

▶ 2:43:44 Christopher Cinella: so on that note with three new hires um what are your current staffing levels now and what

▶ 2:43:53 Speaker 10: should they be well i should and what we have are two different things the city ordinance says 61 we have 47 we do have some turnover every year you know officers come and go they transfer last year we had one transfer to retire there's two pending retirements right now there's another one in the spring um and we try to balance it um the best we can do thank you council thomas

▶ 2:44:26 Cory Thomas: thank you mr chair uh chief welcome um the 47 active uh police officers does that that includes

▶ 2:44:36 Speaker 3: the three that were just yes so it will increase the 50 when the three additional no no that's

▶ 2:44:40 Speaker 10: including the three that just got out of the academy in december we were they're an additional

▶ 2:44:44 Cory Thomas: three with one going to the UTA Academy?

▶ 2:44:48 Speaker 10: That's pending to retirement. So by March 1st, we'll be down to 47.

▶ 2:44:56 Speaker 3: Okay. Yeah. So it won't increase to 50. All right. Thank you.

▶ 2:44:59 Speaker 10: Pretty much the status quo is 46 to 47.

▶ 2:45:03 Speaker 3: All right. Thank you for clarifying that.

▶ 2:45:06 Jeff McNaught: I didn't see any other hands up unless I missed anyone. Is there any other questions for Chief Lyle on this order?

▶ 2:45:15 Jeff McNaught: What is? Oh, Councilor Grigoraitis.

▶ 2:45:18 Jen Grigoraitis: I'm just going to make a motion to recommend passage.

▶ 2:45:23 Jeff McNaught: We have a motion to recommend for passage by Councilor Grigoraitis, seconded by Vice Chair Eccles. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll? Chairman, that's all?