The Darien Times

Darien Police seek 5% spending increase

Written by Susan Shultz
Friday, February 03, 2012 11:59 AM

The current police operating budget is $5,662,642. The proposed budget is $5,957,325, an increase of $294,683 or 5.2%. Included in the proposal is $69,544 to pay for animal control. The current budget that was set up as a separate fund which got a transfer in from the general fund. Accounting changes moved it into the General Fund this year.

The capital budget was approved at $185,218 last year and is proposed at $265,993, an increase of $80,775 or 43.6%.

One of the largest increases is in the police administration's budget of approximately $103,587, or 18%, due to the addition of a administrative lieutenant position.

Lovello pointed out that while it was a new position, it was simply the transfer from the Patrol Division, so the head count wasn't increased.

Though the selectmen looked for an area that would be decreased by the same amount due to the transfer, town finance director Kate Clarke Buch said that the various salary changes due to movement up on staff levels would make it hard to determine.

Another budgetary discussion was about the new Student Resource Officer to be stationed at the high school.

Currently, Lovello said the new position would not incur any costs to the department by adding another officer, because he'd use an officer already on duty.

Each shift is required to have one sergeant, one lieutenant and six patrol officers — one of those patrol officers would serve as the Student Resource Officer.

Lovello did say there could be some overtime charges with one officer tied up at the school during school hours. When school is not in session, that officer would return to regular duty.

Other cost increases were tied to the new police station, including additional custodian costs and hiring trash service. Currently, the custodian takes garbage to the dump himself.

In capital expenses, Lovello said the patrol cars are on a three-year replacement program, and the submitted request for Chevy Caprices complete with needed equipment totals $196,188.

Lovello told the board the department would keep some of the replaced cars on site in case of emergency, as there are some times when patrol cars can be tied up for long periods of time.

He also said that thought he police can sometimes be awarded cards after drug busts or other incidents, those are not suitable for patrol and are used for utility or driving officers to training.

Lovello also is requesting $45,000-worth of field-based reporting software that would save officers time by being able to use it in the patrol cars, updating the station or communicating with other towns.

First Selectman Jayme Stevenson told the Darien Times on Tuesday that the police do a "phenomenal" job for the town, given that it is a "unique community" with two major roadways like the Merritt Parkway and I95 dissecting it, as well as the Post Road.

Over the last year, thieves have broken into houses near the Merritt Parkway using ladders to climb into second floor windows. Last week, one of the town's gas stations adjacent to the I95 entrance was held up at by armed assailants.

Stevenson said in addition to those challenges, the town is also sandwiched between two larger cities: Stamford and Norwalk.

"In my opinion, they need to keep up a higher level of due diligence to keep us feeling as safe as we do — I'm not making a negative comment about neighboring towns, but our police efforts don't stop at the town line," she said.

She also said the town's police often respond to highway incidents initially to assist state police.

"Are there areas where their budget is generous? Yes, and we will be taking a look at some of those things. But we live our every day lives feeling safer because of them," Stevenson said.

Last month, Town Administrator Karl Kilduff proposed a 9% budget increase on Monday for the 2012-13 fiscal year, saying the town could no longer sustain the low level of increases over the last few years.

The proposed budget is $42,290,583, an increase of $3,492,098 over the current fiscal year's budget. Included in that total is the town's debt service of $11,400,186 — 81% of that debt service, or $9,234,587 is school debt.

sshultz@darientimes.com

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