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Date: 11/24/2021
BELCHERTOWN – During the Belchertown Select Board’s Nov. 15 meeting, Police Chief Christopher Pronovost requested authorization from the board to hire three additional full time police officers out of the department’s fiscal year 2022 budget.
Pronovost began by saying it was more difficult than ever to hire part-time police officers.
“Going forward we are not able to hire any part time officers unless they are full-time academy trained. There is a mechanism by which if you have part time officers working in your agency, they have the opportunity to attend a Bridge Academy which provides them with additional instruction to bring them up to the equivalent of the hours of the full-time academy,” he said.
On top of the Bridge Academy, part time officers are required to fulfill 2,200 hours of patrol duty. Pronovost added the town’s two part-time officers will not be able to complete the training for two years due to the training being broken up by last name and spread out through July 2023.
“It is unfortunate because it was always a good program for us here in Belchertown, it was like a farm team in baseball, it was our Single A, Double A, Triple A and if you make it, you get promoted to a full-time officer, we do not have the benefit of that anymore,” he said.
Like other departments, Pronovost said candidates are in short supply.
“It has been extremely difficult attracting candidates right now. Not only is it difficult to get police officers right now but there is an emergency dispatcher shortage, and we are down one ourselves,” he said.
Between some extended medical leaves, the two part-time officers and one full-time vacancy, Pronovost said the department is short across the board.
With leftover money in several of the department’s line items, Pronovost suggested the board allow him to hire three additional full time police officers.
“We have always budgeted for part-time police officers, so we do have a line item for that which is still pretty healthy because we do not have any, so we do have enough money in the part time line item coupled with the line item we have for reimbursement through our mutual aid and some savings, so I am proposing to hire two additional full-time police officers which can be paid out of the existing budget,” he said.
Pronovost said he already had three candidates to fill the spots he requested on top of the vacancy. Were the positions not to be filled, Pronovost said officers would be working more double shifts and increase overtime costs significantly or he would have to cut shifts.
“I can say we have already looked at an alternative plan about taking officers off the road at a certain hour, which I do not is feel is safe and I think the union would have an issue with that,” he said.
Board member Ronald Aponte said Pronovost’s solution was the best option to cover the staff shortages.
“This is certainly out of the ordinary mid budget season, but as the chief indicated it is within his existing funds and is going to be able to cover that and I feel confident that we can cover it from a financial aspect. The big concern I have is the burnout and the safety factor, with the double shifts it is just asking for trouble,” he said.
Board Vice Chair Jim Barry said he was worried the board may be circumventing the established process for hiring full-time employees (FTEs).
“I am concerned about the budget that we fight over is based on FTEs and every time there is even a hint of a new FTE there is supposed to be a non-trivial discussion and I wonder if this is something we are capable of legally and process-wise,” he said.
Town Administrator Gary Brougham said Pronovost’s proposal would work.
“When you are talking about wages in the budget you can overspend, but you cannot mix supplies and equipment with wages so what the chief is proposing is perfectly allowable,” he said.
The board unanimously agreed to allow Pronovost to hire three full-time police officers out of the department’s existing budget.
During the meeting, the board also agreed to establish a group to investigate the feasibility of reopening the town’s skate park.
The Select Board also met on Nov. 22 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Dec. 2 edition of The Reminder.