Greenwich Police Seek $650K To Cover Shortage In Overtime Funds

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Police Department is asking for $650,000 to cover shortages in the department's overtime funds.

The interim appropriation request will be heard before the Representative Town Meeting's monthly meeting on June 10. It's the final gathering before the legislative body takes its summer break.

According to a PowerPoint presentation submitted to the RTM, the shortage in funds has resulted from several officers not being available for duty due to attending the police academy, participating in required field training and being on long-term injury leave.

There are 10 officers currently assigned to the police academy, three officers assigned in field training, and five officers plus a detective on long-term work related injury, police noted in the presentation.

Additionally, there are four open positions in the dispatch center and one open animal control position; a potential candidate is going through the hiring process and if hired, will not be available until late July.

These officers will be available again around September, and could potentially reduce overtime expenses in the 2024-2025 budget, police said in the presentation.

Over the past 13 years, according to the RTM presentation, the police department has remained within its budget due to an average of seven open positions, with an attrition rate higher than the staffing rate.

This fiscal year, the department said it has "made positive changes to the hiring process… resulting in a reversal of the hiring rate being higher than the attrition rate."

"During the second and third quarters, to address this reversal, the department has made several internal changes to reduce overtime expenses while maintaining the school security detail and all mandated training," police said in their presentation. "For the last quarter of this fiscal year, the department is initiating a second plan to continue reducing the overtime liability. This plan redeploys officers from support services to augment patrol and other emergency requirements."

The June 10 RTM meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Central Middle School. It will be broadcast via Greenwich Community Television and Zoom.