Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newbury police chief outlines plan to address two-officer staffing shortfall
Summary
Newbury Police Chief Fischer told the Human Resources Board the department is two officers short of its 12 full‑time allotment and is pursuing academy recruits, a college intern for scheduling, and other incentives to free patrol time while hires complete training.
Chief Fischer told the Town of Newbury Human Resources Board that the police department is "still down two from our 12 allotted full-time officers," and described the department's current recruitment strategy. He said sending recruits to the police academy is a multiyear process: the academy runs about six months, followed by roughly three months of field training, meaning recruits would not fully fill shifts until the following fiscal year.
The staffing shortfall and training timetable, Fischer said, have prompted the department to widen its search beyond already-certified officers. "We've exhausted all of our options for trying to find people who are already certified," he said, and noted the payroll costs of sending recruits to the academy before they begin regular duty.
As interim steps, Fischer described two tactics the department is pursuing. First, he said the department has at least one candidate under pre-employment review for an upcoming academy class and remains "optimistic" about moving forward if checks are satisfactory. Second, he proposed recruiting a college intern to handle administrative scheduling tasks so a sergeant can return to patrol. "One of my sergeants also does the scheduling, which takes time away from him being on the road," Fischer said. He reported one intern applicant had contacted the department.
Board members discussed outreach to local colleges with criminal-justice programs as part of recruitment, and noted that job-fair results have been mixed; Fischer said he had posted openings to multiple college job boards and contacted program heads directly. Members also flagged broader labor-market challenges: candidates increasingly seek remote work, which local law enforcement positions cannot offer.
The board did not take a formal vote on staffing changes; Fischer characterized the items as operational steps the department is pursuing while continuing regular hiring efforts. The next scheduled HR Board meeting is tentatively July 27 at 4 p.m., subject to cancellation if no new business arises.
