Council authorizes emergency MOU allowing police and a non‑union staffer to cover dispatcher shifts

The Glocester Town Council on Oct. 2, 2025 authorized the police chief to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Dispatcher Local 13‑22 that allows qualified police officers and the police executive assistant (a nonunion, salaried employee) to work vacant dispatcher shifts in emergency situations.

Chief Joseph Delpreet presented the request, saying the department is experiencing staffing shortages among full‑time and part‑time dispatchers and needs a short‑term contingency. “There has been a hardship and strain on the full time dispatcher staff,” the chief said, explaining the request is intended for emergencies and to bridge gaps while new hires train.

Under the authorized arrangement, qualified police officers would be paid their normal overtime rate when used for emergency dispatch shifts. The chief requested that the executive assistant, who is a salaried employee, be paid at the lieutenant’s overtime rate if he is needed to work emergency dispatcher shifts; the chief said finance will process those payments from the police overtime budget.

Council members questioned whether the authorization should have an expiration date; the chief said he intended to leave it open‑ended while monitoring staffing and would return to council if longer‑term changes were necessary. The chief said training a new dispatcher can take three or four months and that maintaining a small pool of part‑time personnel has proven difficult.

A motion to authorize the chief to enter into the MOU with Local 13‑22 was made, seconded and approved by the council.

Next steps: the chief will finalize the MOU with the dispatchers’ union and coordinate with the finance director to ensure overtime payments are processed in accordance with the authorization. The council asked for updates if the contingency is used repeatedly or if staffing does not improve.