Claremont
Police Chief Mark Chase said on Tuesday the bonus option of up to $10,000 that was part of a new three-year police contract approved by the City Council last May enabled him to hire three certified officers who did not have to spend four months at the police academy. One was from Vermont and did need some training to become certified in New Hampshire.
But the recent resignations of Sgt. Ian Kibbe and Officer Mark Burch as the result of an investigation into an allegedly illegal search of a suspect’s apartment in February again have left the police department short-staffed.
Kibbe has been charged in court with falsifying arrest documents from the search, and Burch, though not formally charged, remains under investigation. Kibbe recently pleaded not guilty to six charges.
The department has handled shortages by working overtime. As of the end of March, 83 percent of the $90,000 overtime budget for the current fiscal year had been spent with three months left before it ends on June 30. But the good news on the budget is that regular pay through March 30 was on pace to come in under budget by around $245,000 of a $1.35 million line item.
The signing bonus, along with pay increases of 6 percent in year one and 3 percent for each of the next two years was done in an effort to help the department hire and retain officers, which has been a longstanding challenge. Last year at this time, the department was down two officers with a third set to retire. But six of the regular staff of 25 had not completed training and were not able to go on patrol alone at the time, leaving the rest of the department filling in on overtime.
New hires attending the police academy are paid during that time.
“That is four months of pay without working the road,” Chase said.
Additionally, after graduating from the academy there is another eight to 12 weeks of training with the department.
Chase said on Tuesday that the bonus option made a difference.
“I definitely saw an impact and was able to hire certified officers. It was a significant cost savings and time savings for the city even with the lump sum bonus payments,” Chase said. “I think it was a smart investment.”
The bonuses were paid with money left over in the department’s budget and the amount was based on experience.
Were it not for the resignations of Kibbe and Burch, Chase said they would have just one opening and he hopes to fill that shortly.
“We were potentially fully staffed,” Chase said.
The pay increases, along with step increases, were a “morale booster,” Chase added. “It showed that (the officers) are valued.”
The new contract brought the base pay to almost $48,100 for the current year with an increase in the second year to $49,530 and to $51,000 in the third year.
“We are now in the ballpark,” Chase said about pay when compared to area departments.
Chase told the council last year that two officers who had an opportunity to leave decided to remain with the department in large part because of the new contract.
For the coming year, Chase’s proposed budget of $2.7 million is about $110,000 less than this year. Part of that is because the three positions won’t be filled for the entire year, which reduces the regular pay line item. New hires also are paying more for insurance, which will save about $50,000, the chief said.
“The person we are looking at hiring now won’t start for a couple of months,” Chase said.
For the two other slots, Chase is looking at hires in December, which would coincide with the next training session at the Police Academy in January.
Since he became chief in February 2017, Chase said he has made nine hires at various levels and all nine still are with the department. Still, he said, the department has to deal with pay disparities. He gave an example of a person who may have job opportunities with departments in a few different communities.
“When the pay is significantly lower (here), it makes the decision easier,” he said.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
