Police Commission Seeks Budget Hike For Expanded Services

By Andrew Gorosko

The Police Commission is urging that the agency’s budget request for the 2007-08 fiscal year be approved, noting that increasing calls for service from the public are placing additional demands on town police.

The selectmen are slated to review the police department’s budget request at a session slated for 7:30 pm Tuesday, January 23, at the Multipurpose Center at Riverside Road.

In its basic budget proposal for the 2007-08 fiscal year, the Police Commission proposes that the police department receive $3,792,090 in public funds, representing a $414,110 increase in spending over its current $3,377,980 budget, reflecting a 12.25 percent spending hike. Most of the spending increase would cover salaries.

The spending proposal will be subject to review and possible changes by the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, and the Legislative Council, before submission to voters for action next spring.

In its budget proposal, the Police Commission proposes that the police department’s complement of sworn officers expand from 45 to 47 people. The document proposes that those two posts be added to the police department roster in early 2008. One of the two new positions would be a uniformed police patrol officer. The other new job would be a sergeant’s position. That person would be attached to the department’s administrative/support services unit.

Having an additional patrol officer would allow the department to better handle increased calls for service, especially in the area of traffic law enforcement, according to the police budget proposal.

A new sergeant would supervise the traffic unit and would assist the administrative lieutenant.

In the area of capital spending, the Police Commission proposes the purchase of new police patrol cars to replace aging vehicles. It also proposes acquiring some replacement mobile computers for use in patrol cars; replacement closed-circuit television cameras for surveillance at the police station, and replacement radar units for traffic speed enforcement.

Police Commission member Richard Simon said this week that although some members of the public who spoke recently at a Borough Board of Burgesses meeting on the Queen Street Area Traffic Improvement Plan questioned whether town police were providing adequate traffic control services, town police have been busy with traffic duty.

Mr Simon, who has been a Police Commission member since 1999, said that during 2006, town police conducted many traffic enforcement projects designed to improve the local quality of life and maintain a safe and secure community.

Patrol Officer Jeff Silver, who specializes in commercial truck enforcement, conducted approximately 100 standard inspections of commercial trucks; removed from service 42 trucks that were violating trucking laws; issued 341 violations to truckers; and made other miscellaneous truck inspections, Mr Simon said.

Through a grant program, town police spent 617 man-hours on drunken driving enforcement, including 217 man-hours at sobriety checkpoints and 400 man-hours in roving patrols, Mr Simon said. The project resulted in 15 drunken driving arrests, 95 miscellaneous arrests, and 312 warnings, he said.

During a 12-day period last spring, police conducted a heightened traffic enforcement project on 22 local roads. It resulted in 136 arrests, and 30 warnings, he said.

In the area of radar patrols, police completed almost 600 radar speed enforcement assignments during 2006, Mr Simon said. The police department’s “speed trailer” was placed in 40 locations. The device, which is radar-based, indicates to approaching motorists their oncoming speed compared to the posted speed limit in the area.

During the “Click-It or Ticket” enforcement project, which was conducted during 32 days in 2006, police issued 120 infraction tickets for seat belt violations and 17 warnings for such offenses, Mr Simon said.

In 2006, police made 5,542 motor vehicle stops. They issued 2,286 infractions or misdemeanors; 1,699 written warnings, and 850 verbal warnings, he said.

During 2006, police made 102 arrests overall for drunken driving, representing a 13 percent increase in such arrests compared to 2005, he said.

During 2006, town police received 18,965 calls for service, which is up 3,690 calls, or 24 percent from the preceding year, he said.

Also, during 2006, police responded to 1,929 burglar alarms, of which all but four alarms were false alarms, he said.

Mr Simon said that one of the police department’s goals is to create a “traffic division” to keep pace with the increasing local demands of traffic law enforcement. “We are trying to be very pro-active,” he said.

“The police department is doing the best it can with the resources the public gives us,” Mr Simon said.