Council opens two police positions in current budget to secure recruits for July academy

The Wallingford Town Council on April 14 approved an amendment to the current fiscal-year budget to open two police officer positions so the department can issue conditional offers to candidates and enroll them in an academy this summer.

Chief John Ventura told the council the department ran a Wallingford-only recruitment and testing process that produced “over 30 people” at an open house and yielded three conditional offers. “We had double-digit candidates at the end of that process,” Ventura said, arguing that the town must reserve the slots now or risk losing applicants to other agencies.

The change amends the 2025–26 budget to add the two positions; Ventura said the hires would not be paid until after July, when the new academy and the new fiscal year begin. Comptroller Tim Senna and council members described an internal HR and comptroller review for adding positions and noted the amendment’s purpose is procedural — to authorize positions so conditional offers can be issued.

Councilors across the chamber signaled support, noting high call volumes and future retirements that make recruitment urgent. Ventura said Wallingford has seen 10,756 calls for service so far this year and expects to exceed last year’s total of 30,758, stressing that patrol officers are the town’s first responders to a broad set of incidents.

The council recorded a roll-call vote after debate: Allinson, Carmody, Fishbein, Laffin, Reynolds, Berard, Versace, Chada and Testa voted Yes. The motion passed.

What happens next: the administration will proceed with conditional offers and onboarding for candidates selected for the July academy; pay and payroll impact will begin in the next fiscal period when hires become effective.

Officials present at the discussion included Chief John Ventura and Lieutenant Jakes from the Wallingford Police Department; Comptroller Tim Senna participated in procedural clarifications.