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Officer urges council to allow police collective bargaining amid staffing squeeze
Summary
Caldwell Police Officer Nick Quintana asked the City Council to permit collective bargaining for the department, citing staffing shortfalls (authorized 93 positions, 87 filled), rising calls for service and retention problems; council agreed to schedule a longer workshop for details and fiscal analysis.
Officer Nick Quintana told the council the Caldwell Police Department is stretched thin and is seeking the council’s permission to pursue collective bargaining with the city. “However, this year I understand that we were authorized from 93,” Quintana said, and added: “We're currently at 87 filled, of course 6 vacancies as a result of that,” arguing vacancies and patrol shortages undermine response capability.
Quintana presented year-to-date call-volume and staffing figures and framed collective bargaining as a tool to improve pay competitiveness, officer wellness and grievance procedures. He said patrol complement is 43 officers and warned rising call volumes would worsen response times unless retention improves. Councilors pressed on benchmarks and fiscal impacts; Council President Register and others recommended a dedicated workshop and further market analysis before any policy change. Mayor Phillips thanked Quintana for his presentation and invited staff to schedule follow-up work.
