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Avon police outline reorganization and staffing changes tied to regional dispatch
Summary
Chief Neil Dryfe told the Town Council the Avon Police Department plans to reinstitute a police captain and eliminate one administrative sergeant after dispatch regionalization; he also highlighted rising fraud reports, traffic enforcement priorities and peer-support efforts.
Avon Police Chief Neil Dryfe told the Town Council on Feb. 7 that the department is seeking to reinstitute a full-time police captain position while eliminating an administrative sergeant assignment following the shift of dispatch services to a regional provider.
Chief Dryfe said the administrative-sergeant role had been spending much of its time overseeing dispatch, work that moved to Farmington as part of a regional dispatch arrangement. "Regional Dispatch is going fantastically well," Dryfe reported, adding that the reorganization would allow the department to restore a captain-level non-union position and fill supervisory roles through promotional processes.
Dryfe highlighted operational trends: fraud and scam calls are up about 24% in Connecticut, the department is emphasizing traffic enforcement to respond to citizen complaints, and the department’s peer-support team provides trained officers for internal staff support. He noted that a previously grant-funded training officer position expired and could be pursued again if grant opportunities arise.
Council members questioned the implications of rank, union status and overtime allocation. Dryfe said reclassifying supervisory posts has implications for grievance procedures and overtime eligibility and discussed the benefits of providing leadership development through a non-union second-in-command role.
Next steps: Staffing adjustments were recorded as proposals within the FY 26/27 budget materials and will be evaluated as the council continues its budget review.
