Swampscott Civil Service Switch Leads To Police Hiring Disconnect

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — A public debate over Swampscott police staffing is part of what Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald called the "growing pains" of leaving the civil service system and the commitment to go to greater lengths to create a more diverse, inclusive public safety force.

Two weeks ago, Swampscott Police Union President Kevin Reen spoke during the public comment section of the Select Board meeting and charged that the department was "grossly understaffed" with only 27 of 32 full-time positions filled.

"We have a significant concern with the Swampscott PD staffing levels as they relate to public safety in our town," Reen said.

He said officers were "physically and psychologically fatigued from filling unending shifts" and blamed the town's slow hiring process — and declining to hire what he said were determined to be qualified candidates — for the relative shortage.

His argument was that given the duration between the time an officer is hired, and then completes the academy and is ready for patrol duties — about eight months — that the town needs to be more urgent in hiring candidates presented to it as viable.

But Fitzgerald said it is more complicated than that. He told Patch on Thursday that while the town is committed to filling the positions as quickly as possible, the move out of civil service has not necessarily produced the type of diverse candidates that was one of the stated objectives of the switch.

"This is a really important time," said Fitzgerald, who engaged in a lengthy back-and-forth with Reen during the previous Select Board meeting. "We have a number of vacancies and we are not looking to fill them just to fill them. We are going to fill them because we have an opportunity to fulfill some broader priorities."

Fitzgerald said two offers have been made to fill what he views as the four open positions — other staff shortages are due to long-term illnesses and injuries which cannot necessarily be replaced with a new hire — and that one candidate is currently in the academy and one is set to begin the academy and be ready for service in the summer of 2023.

He noted that the two police hires are of Hispanic descent. He said five Swampscott fire hires since leaving civil service last year include two Black hires and two women.

"These firefighters are going to reflect the population they serve," Fitzgerald said. "And they don't just serve Swampscott. They serve the greater population north of Boston."

Fitzgerald said he has requested another round of testing so that a wider net of candidates can be considered.

"We are looking for the most diverse and most extraordinary men and women to join these departments and help us meet the broader demands of public safety," Fitzgerald said.

New Police Chief Ruben Quesada, who was not at the Select Board meeting two weeks ago, was asked about Reen's "grossly understaffed" assessment from the previous meeting when he addressed the Select Board on Wednesday night.

"We do have vacancies and we do have a couple of people who have been out on extended leave, which has taken a toll on our police force mentally, physically and psychologically," Quesada said. "We are able to answer our calls for service. We are able to answer to emergencies. There is not going to be a Swampscott resident, nor has there been since I've been here, who has said: 'You never responded to my house.

"We have responded. We will respond. To be honest with you, I think that's the frustration that our officers are feeling based on the toll that they've taken in terms of having to work extra shifts."

Select Board Peter Spellios pressed Quesada on Reen's assertion the town is being "grossly negligent" with its handling of officer staffing.

"I do not feel like we are grossly negligent in our staffing," Quesada, who noted that he did not want to be put in the position of being in the middle between disputing sides of the issue. "I am aware and cognizant of the needs of our police officers and the toll that has been taken on them.

"But at the same time, I also understand our staffing issues."

Quesada said he is still in the "assessment" period of deciding what is proper staffing for which shifts at the department. The department recently got rid of "mandatory minimum" staffing and lowered the number of officers on duty during non-peak hours from five to four.

Fitzgerald said that while the department is considered fully staffed at 32, some periods of staffing at less than 32 are inevitable since the town cannot hire an officer based on the possibility that another officer might retire the next year.

"We knew nothing about this was going to be easy," Fitzgerald said of the civil service shift. "But everything we do with it will be some of the most important things we do in public life."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)