Darien Police Encounter Staffing Challenges During Second Quarter

Due to a reduced force and an increased number of incidents—which is typical of the summer—Deputy Police Chief David Skala said Thursday that the department has recently encountered some staffing challenges.

Skala presented a report at the Darien Police Committee meeting of staffing statistics from the second quarter of 2011, which ran from April 11 through July 3.

The report shows the frequency with which the number of patrol officers on duty dropped below five, as well as the costs and savings associated with overtime pay.

Starting May 9, Skala said the department began working with a minimum of five patrol officers on weekends to address the higher number of incidents that tend to occur during summer months. The department also installed a minimum of five patrol officers during the Fourth of July weekend.

The rest of the time, the department requires a minimum of four patrol officers per shift, although it still schedules officers with the goal of having five on the streets.

Although the is authorized to employ 37 officers, Skala said the force currently stands at 35. During the second quarter, five of those 35 officers were on leave for various reasons. One has since returned to work but Skala said return dates have not been set for the other four officers.

Because of the reduced force, Skala said the department has been compelled several times at the outset to schedule officers on overtime pay just to get to the "schedule five" goal. 

Ward 4 Alderman Joerg Seifert said that he would like to see some metrics that concretely demonstrate what effect reduced staffing is having on public and officer safety.

"If we're going to do something like this, we have to have a benchmark, we have to have a measure other than 'There doesn’t seem to be a problem,'" he said.

Skala said that although there are many ways to analyze manpower, the inherent unpredictability of police work makes it difficult to quantify comfortable staffing levels.

Despite the reduced staffing, Skala said the department did not have to stack any calls during the past three month-long shifts.

Fewer officers on duty, however, can result in fewer officers patrolling the streets if they must respond to calls.

Incidents such as domestic disputes require at least two officers, halving the number on the streets when four patrol officers are on duty, said Deputy Chief John Cooper. 

A decision on staffing levels, however, is on hold until a new police chief is named. Chief Robert Pavelchik retired May 31. A new chief is expected to be installed by September.

"It's premature to change the ship's movement if we're only going to be moving the ship in one direction for another two months," said Ward 3 Alderman John Poteraske. "But we do not want a safety issue. We would like to run with four only when it makes sense to do so."

Total cost of overtime shifts to date:

*Overtime rate is $50 an hour.