Simsbury police commission discusses dispatcher vacancy, budget and new modular citizens academy

At its March 9 meeting, the Simsbury Police Commission debated staffing and outreach priorities after the town manager's proposed budget did not include funding for a seventh dispatcher.

The chair told commissioners the selectpeople discussed using end-of-year savings to cover roughly six months of the dispatcher position once the books close. "It was discussed," the chair said, adding members indicated willingness to consider using end-of-year funds for a six-month period.

The chief recommended continuing an evaluation process before formally requesting the permanent addition. He said the department will notify the finance director and selectpeople when the vacancy is filled and revisit the funding request at that time.

On community outreach, the chief proposed retooling the long-running citizens police academy into short, modular sessions to accommodate residents who cannot commit to a 9- or 10-week program. The chief said the first module is targeted for the first week of May and will emphasize patrol functions, the department building and personnel. "If somebody has completed six or so then we'll give them a certificate," he said.

Commissioners discussed outreach and recruitment for the academy, including advertising via the town website, Facebook and the town manager's report. Commissioners also asked staff to explore offering ride-alongs and station sit-ins as module options.

The commission approved minutes for the Feb. 9 and Feb. 26 meetings by voice vote during the session; individual roll-call votes were not recorded in the transcript.

The meeting ended after routine reports and a motion to adjourn was approved at about 5:38 p.m.