Chief cites overtime costs as council weighs requiring officers at city-court appearances

Council discussed a proposed policy change governing whether police officers must appear in Kingston city court for contested citations. Chief Wam said the current practice — requiring officers who wrote citations to attend court — has created notable overtime costs and operational strain.

Chief Wam told the council that since August 2023 the department issued about 1,925 citations and had roughly 979 cases set for city-court dates; he said officers logged roughly 310 hours of full-time overtime and 96 hours of part-time overtime tied to court appearances during that period. "With all that said ... we've had 1,925 citations ... 979 cases had court dates ... with full-time that was $11,376 within three years," he said while asking the council to consider less disruptive options.

City Attorney Thompson and the city manager said the judge controls court procedure but noted options: reset contested hearings to allow officer attendance when required, rely on the city prosecutor to represent the city's interests at first settings, or require officer attendance only when a hearing is requested. Council members emphasized safety in the courtroom and the risk that a defendant could move to dismiss for failure to prosecute if no representative is present; staff said a city prosecutor is now present at court and can object if necessary.

Council directed staff to investigate policy options and for the attorney to clarify legal obligations and risks; no formal policy change was made at the work session.