By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
August 28, 2007
With police seeking higher salaries in upcoming contract
negotiations, town officials say they recognize they must
maintain competitive salaries to successfully vie for a smaller
pool of aspiring police candidates.
While the union's four-year contract doesn't expire until June,
talks are expected to begin next month.
Town Labor Relations Director Al Cava, who helps negotiate
employee contracts for the town, said recruitment efforts have
become more challenging because of higher salaries for officers
in nearby New York and a shrinking number of applicants for
police jobs in Fairfield County.
"We want to recruit the highest caliber candidates and I
think we've done a good job of doing that and want to continue to
do that," Cava said. "We're not completely ignoring
Westchester County because they are our next door neighbors and
we need to be mindful of what's going on."
Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg said that current police
salaries and benefits are in line with neighboring Fairfield
County departments, but that wage increases can aid in attracting
more and better candidates.
Last year the town's list of eligible candidates for entry level
police officer was exhausted, and police undertook an aggressive
recruiting effort to fill empty jobs on the force caused by
retirements and other departures, Ridberg said.
"I'm more than happy when the wages and benefits rise for
new recruits and the officers who work for me because it aids
recruitment and retention," Ridberg said. "But contract
negotiation time always puts people on edge ... No one side gets
everything they want."
Police union officials want higher salaries and better benefits
on par with nearby New York departments, said Sgt. James Bonney,
president of the Silver Shield Association, which represents the
department's 153 uniformed officers.
Bonney said that Greenwich officers with five years on the job
currently earn a salary of $63,112, tens of thousands less than
some of their Westchester counterparts in comparable communities.
The difference in salary impacts the quality of the recruits the
town can attract, Bonney said.
"It's all up to the negotiations," Bonney said. "I
believe the town of Greenwich has aggressively negotiated
contracts with the union in the past and done such a good job
they have negotiated themselves right out of the market for top
quality police officers."
In addition to higher salaries, Greenwich officers will likely
seek longevity bonuses, and higher town contributions to their
pension plans, Bonney said.
Many departments give officers longevity bonuses at the 5- 10-
and 15-year service marks, Bonney said.
Ridberg said that aside from money, the department offers
aspiring officers enough variety and advancement opportunities
because it is larger than many Connecticut police departments.
Assignments to the Marine Division, as a neighborhood resource
officer or to one of the relatively large number of detective
positions in the Greenwich police department provide
opportunities many smaller departments lack.
"I think its a terrific department and a perfect sized
department to allow room for growth," Ridberg said. "I
know every one of my officers by name, but there is a happy
medium between all the excitement a large department offers, and
the work blend is a nice blend of criminal and public service
calls and appeals to those who want to run out and catch bad guys
and to those who want to help people."
Last year the department faced staffing shortages after it
reached a low of 143 officers, 13 fewer than its recommended
number of 156, officials have said.
Since then the department has hired 14 officers, which after
retirements are factored in, brings
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Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.