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Police move to bolster ranks

By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer

August 24, 2006

The police department has begun an aggressive recruiting effort after an unexpected rash of retirements, departures, and a nearly empty eligibility list have left the force with a staffing shortage.

Of the 15 people on the department's list of those eligible to apply to be a police officer, all but one either didn't pass the department's screening process or got a better offer elsewhere.

The lone recruit will enter a police academy in late September if she passes a physical agility test, Chila said.

"We've never seen it where we've lost this number of officers in this short a period of time," said Deputy Chief Pat Chila, who oversees the hiring of officers.

Retirements are usually some-what predictable, but some officers took early retirement, before getting their maximum benefits, Chila said.

As of Sept. 1, the department will have 145 officers, after losing 11 to retirement, career changes, or better job offers, Chila said. The department is slated to have 156 officers.

Starting today the town will begin taking applications for officer candidates through the Department of Human Resources, with the goal of establishing an eligibility list by late this year.

Chila said he hopes to send as many candidates as he can to a police academy in March 2007.

Applicants must be United States citizens, at least 20 years of age, and possess at least 45 college credits or two years of active military service, according to the job posting.

The starting salary is $50,206, which is more than neighboring Stamford's $47,000.

One challenge to finding officers is the high cost of living in Fairfield County, which usually prompts officers to live in more affordable areas far away, Chila said.

"Sometimes we don't even get candidates because of the commuting issue," Chila said.

The department will handle the shortage without cutting patrols, and does not plan to request additional funds for overtime, Chila said.

Despite Chila's assurances, Sgt. James Bonney, president of the Silver Shield Association police union, said officers anticipate that the administration will cut patrol staffing and impose unwanted overtime on officers.

"I'd like to see how they handle this one," Bonney said. The union has clashed with Chief James Walters in the past over staffing levels and mandatory overtime.

Bonney said he believes the biggest hindrance to recruiting candidates to Greenwich is what he views as the relatively low salaryÊcompared with other departments,Êpointing to the Clarkstown, N.Y., department as an example. In Clarkstown, a starting officer earns $57,622 climbing to $96,038 within five years, thereafter earning longevity bonuses worth about $4,500 every five years.

"We have guys earning that much but they are pulling doubles (double shifts) every day and have no family life," Bonney said. "That would make it difficult to recruit (in Greenwich)."

Chila responded that Green-wich's salaries are on par with other departments in the region, and that being one of the largest departments in the state provides greater opportunities for professional development.

"Our salaries are commensurate with the rest of the area," Chila said. "Plus being one of the larger departments there are many paths your career can take; we have a marine division, a detective division, and a youth division. It's a good place to work."