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Chester officials seek $1,000‑per‑month retainer for outside police staffing analysis
Summary
City officials heard a request to authorize a $1,000 monthly retainer for EJM Advisory Firm LLC to continue analyzing Chester Police Department staffing data; the work was previously covered by a state contract tied to the receiver’s former chief‑of‑staff role and would be paid from city funds if approved.
City of Chester officials discussed a resolution to retain EJM Advisory Firm LLC to provide ongoing analysis of Chester Police Department staffing on Monday, July 21. The contract under consideration would pay the firm a $1,000 monthly retainer for 12 months and was described as a continuation of work the firm has provided under a state contract.
The request, introduced as Resolution 87 during the deliberative meeting, seeks authorization to engage EJM to analyze raw police staffing data to produce recurring reports on hours worked, overtime, platoon staffing and related trends. Vijay Kapoori, the city’s receiver, told council the firm’s work “analyz[es] police staffing data” and produces periodic reports the city and public safety committee can review.
The nut of the proposal, Kapoori said, is managerial: the analysis is intended to show how many officers are on shift, identify overtime trends and provide year‑over‑year comparisons that help with staffing decisions. “It is analyzing raw data to the police department and to the city, which will help us understand what the staffing arrangement is,” Kapoori said.
Kapoori told the council the state previously paid for the service through his former chief‑of‑staff contract with the receiver’s office; that contract has ended now that he is a state employee and the state funding is no longer available. He said the city stands to benefit from continuing the analysis and that the cost—$1,000 per month—was modest relative to the operational value of the reports. He added the city has been receiving reports since June and could make them available to council or the public safety committee on request.
Council members asked whether the internal Chester Police Department could produce the level of analysis provided by EJM; Kapoori replied that the department does not produce this level of analytical detail in‑house. He said the EJM reports show overtime patterns, who is getting overtime, and platoon‑level trends that are useful as a management tool.
The resolution was presented for council consideration; final action was scheduled for the Wednesday meeting, according to the agenda announcement.
For transparency, the council also noted that EJM’s analyst has prior experience in police staffing work, including time in the Baltimore Police Department, and that the city has been receiving biweekly reports from the firm. No vote was taken at the deliberative session.
