A big fight appears to be brewing between San Jose police officers and the city over cuts to overtime.
The police department this week issued an order that significantly reduces overtime to help the city bridge a budget gap.
The move comes as the San Jose Police Officers Association is in the midst of negotiating a new contract that’s now bound to get bumpy.
Police officers have the support if a few neighborhood associations that don’t like the new plan. And some officers are concerned it could lead to an exodus from the San Jose Police Department.
Ashley Travaguone, an investigator with the sexual assaults unit of the police department, is a six-year veteran and says the new overtime policy would prevent a patrol officer from helping her with investigations on their day off — unless the chief specifically signs off on it.
“It’s going to take longer to get to those cases, and honestly in some cases, they’re just going to get shelved,” Travaguone said about cases like indecent exposure and groping.
Sgt. Steve Slack, president of the police union, also criticized the new policy.
“Is it ever going to be looked at? Does somebody get revictimized in the meantime?” he asked. “It’s a Band-aid on a bullet hole. It’s not efficient. It’s not effective.”
The new rules require the chief to sign off on overtime, including for officers coming in to help with a special operations on their days off — or captains and lieutenants who attend neighborhood association and other community gatherings during their off hours.
“Its going to impact the connectivity between the police department and the community and the neighborhood because over the years, it really helps to build up a close relationship with the police department,” said Jeff Levine of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association.
In a statement, the city manager’s office said that in the last fiscal year, the department was on pace to exceed its personal services budget by $17 million. City Hall says cost controls are necessary to mitigate the deficits, “including limited use of discretionary overtime in ways that do not compromise community safety.”
But officers say overtime is a big deal to them, and more might now consider leaving an already short staffed department under the new policy.
SJPD already has seen a significant number of officers leave, exceeding the number of new officers being sworn in.
“Other agencies nearby want officers like me that have a specific skill set, and a skill set they’re looking for, and they’re willing to pay a premium for it,” Travaguone said.
The police department released the following full statement to NBC Bay Area on Thursday:
“Ensuring public safety for San José residents, businesses, and visitors is a foremost responsibility for the City, but it must be effectuated in a fiscally responsible way, especially when it comes to overtime. SJPD will continue using overtime to maintain sufficient staffing at all times; the department will simply require that discretionary overtime of certain types be approved by the Chief in order to achieve cost controls without compromising public safety and community engagement efforts.”
Following is the full statement provided by the San Jose City Manager’s Office on Thursday:
“At the end of last fiscal year, the Police Department was on pace to exceed its personal services budget by approximately $17 million, which represents 3% of the department’s overall personal services budget. Actions were approved by the City Council on June 17 to increase the Police Department’s budget to account for this anticipated overage, which was due to elevated overtime use primarily to backfill vacant sworn positions.
“Given the continued budgetary restraints in the General Fund, additional cost controls in the Police Department are necessary to mitigate the potential for budget overages in the current fiscal year, including limited use of discretionary overtime, in ways that do not compromise community safety.”
Source: NBC Bay Area
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