Beacon police discuss efficiency

Talk follows report about how to improve operation

By Maeleeke J. Lavan
Poughkeepsie Journal

 

Darryl Bautista/Poughkeepsie Journal Officer Rios patrols Main Street Friday.

BEACON -- A civilian dispatcher, altering schedules and reducing overtime are among the ideas to help the Beacon Police Department run more efficiently.

A Glens Falls-area company recently conducted an in-depth study of Beacon Police Department procedures and policies in an effort to possibly cut costs and improve services.

Police Management Services specializes in support for small and medium-size police departments giving suggestions on ways to improve things like policy and procedure, management studies and problems.

Several police officers -- including Chief Richard Sassi -- attended a special meeting recently to discuss of the police administrative study.

Officer satisfied

''When we walked out of the meeting, I thought we made our points,'' Sassi said. ''I think the position that the police department has is we're not opposed at looking at making the department more effective, efficient and even flow better.''

Some council members suggested employing a civilian dispatcher could cut back on overtime for officers, which has increased steadily in the past few years.

Last year, more than $400,000 was spent on police department overtime.

Sassi said there are a number of factors that contribute to overtime and hiring a civilian dispatcher may not necessarily result in decreased spending for several years.

A civilian dispatcher would free up an officer to interact more with the community and focus strictly on police work, he said.

Most of the phone calls taken in the department are answered by a police lieutenant.

''I've always been in favor of civilian dispatchers, however, I'm opposed to having a civilian dispatcher to replace a uniformed officer on a shift,'' Sassi said.

Another point of discussion was scheduling for the department.

Three models were presented of how staff schedules could be altered to maximize manpower during peak times.

The department is busiest during its midday shift. A staggered schedule with more officers working in the day and fewer in the late evening was suggested. However, the model calls for more officers than the 38 the department has.

Councilman Steve Gold, D-4th Ward, said the models could help cut back on overtime while maintaining efficiency and safety for officers and the community.

''Together I know we can come to a viable solution that will work for this town,'' Eleanor Thompson, D-2nd Ward, said.

Panel to review proposals

Mayor Clara Lou Gould has appointed a committee including members of the police department union and city to review each of the three proposals Carpenter suggested.

''The first step will be to get the committee going,'' Gould said of how future decisions will be made. ''Everybody's really on the same page, we were all there for the same reason and have the same goals. What we're looking for is to have those goals reached in the easiest way possible.''