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Police present staffing plan; council presses on overtime and recruitment
Summary
Police leadership outlined a plan that would bring authorized positions from 49 full-time officers toward 56 if hiring succeeds; council members pressed for analysis after FY2024 overtime exceeded $1.1 million and asked about retention and recruiting strategies.
Chief (name not specified in meeting record) told the council the police section of the budget currently lists 49 full-time sworn officers and includes requests that would add positions in August and January and one lateral hire that together would bring the authorized headcount to 56 if the hires are filled. "This budget also includes 4 for the August, '2 for the January, '1 lateral which would begin...bringing us to a total number of 56 officers," the chief said.
Council members focused on the department's overtime, which the record shows was about $1.1 million in FY2024 and is a continuing pressure in the current year. Council members asked for a breakdown of overtime drivers, whether patrol vacancies drive the cost (the chief said the bulk of overtime is at patrol-level minimum-manning), and what neighboring departments are doing to retain officers. The chief and staff said Coventry has lost officers to nearby departments offering different retirement or post-retirement packages and that retirements remain a factor; the department has adjusted hiring standards and attends recruiting events to address the shortfall.
The budget also includes a planned $150,000 contribution to the town's OPEB trust, an increase from the prior year's $100,000, an item finance staff raised during department reviews as part of efforts to shore up long-term liabilities.
Why it matters: sustained overtime driven by vacancies increases operating costs and complicates recruitment and retention strategies; councilors asked for comparative data and requested a breakdown of overtime by rank and function to inform budget decisions.
