In the Feb. 11 issue of The Reminder Appropriations Committee Chair states, “One of the reasons for the Police Department’s high overtime budget in recent years is due to the contracts with the department’s officers that allows for it.”

Apparently crime rates and staffing have nothing to do with it. But Chairman Madison does note that East Longmeadow has 1.62 officers per 1,000 residents, far below the average in the contiguous communities which is 1.93 officers per 1,000 residents and East Longmeadow would need to hire four new officers to reach the average. But let’s blame the contract.

Four new officers would generate approximately 7,500 work hours per year and eliminate an equal amount of overtime. But let’s blame the contract.

High crime and low staffing are the reasons for overtime, not the agreement negotiated by the officers and their’s union, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers (IBPO). And let us not forget, the contract was a pact negotiated with the Board of Selectmen and approved annually by the Town Meeting and the members of the local IBPO chapter. The amount of money set aside for the overtime line item is not dependent on the dollars budgeted by other communities as each community has its particular issues with crime and specific needs for staffing. But let’s blame the contract.

Chief Douglas Mellis is charges with protecting the property, rights of the citizens and enforcing the laws of the town, the Commonwealth and the country. I believe he has performed his task to the letter of the laws. To accomplish this he has had to expend funds accordingly, including overtime, when mandated by the same laws he has had to protect. No one has accused Mellis of misappropriating funds and/or allowing the officers to submit overtime based upon their sole desire to work at their own discretion. But let’s blame the contract.

The East Longmeadow police officers may have a very good contract, but it is deserved. There were times when wage offers were less than acceptable, but these wage offers were offset by granting additional leave. There were also years when the local IBPO chapter accepted 0 percent and even reduced the entry level rate of pay, which determines the training rate, so the town could save money when recruits were enrolled in the Police Academy. This is a good thing, so let’s not blame the contract, but pat ourselves on the back instead.

If the town of East Longmeadow wants to understand the appropriate amount of overtime, it has to recognize that overtime is driven by the needs of the community to remain safe. This is only accomplished when there are significant numbers of police officers on the streets, whether on straight time or overtime. The staffing of the department will determine that.
 
Robert F. Dickson
Regional Director
International Brotherhood of Police Officers