East Providence Police institute lateral hiring program

Attempt to alleviate manpower shortfalls

By Mike Rego
Posted 3/23/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — The police department here will soon utilize an employment program generally used in other municipalities locally and nationally to ease manpower deficiencies.

At the Tuesday, …

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East Providence Police institute lateral hiring program

Attempt to alleviate manpower shortfalls

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The police department here will soon utilize an employment program generally used in other municipalities locally and nationally to ease manpower deficiencies.

At the Tuesday, March 21, city council meeting, acting city manager Tim Chapman and East Providence Police chief Chris Parella made the body aware of their plan to implement a “lateral hiring” effort in a move to alleviate manpower shortages in the department.

Chief Parella told the council he will attempt to hire as many as 10 new employees from a pool of either officers from other departments with only a few years of service or those who have retired but can still ably perform the duties required.

“We are in dire need of manpower,” Chief Parella said Tuesday. “This goes back years and years and years.”

The chief explained the EPPD’s qualifications remain “high” and its vetting process is “long.” Those are some of the factors that make hiring serviceable candidates strenuous. He added the “wash-out” or attrition rate for police academy cadets and rookie officers is also significant, making it that much difficult to fill positions.

As it currently stands, the EPPD staff is hovering around the 103 minimum number of officers, according to chief. He continued, over the last 12 months, 26 percent of officers on each shift are working overtime. He said it’s become almost standard practice for officers to remain on duty beyond their initial eight-hour tours.

“It’s starting to take a burden on our officers,” Chief Parella said.

In response, the chief said he, Mr. Chapman and city Human Resources director Kathleen Waterbury closely coordinated the introduction of the “police lateral hires” program. Though he admittedly termed it a “stop-gap” measure, the chief said it was necessary and a fiscally prudent way of addressing the personnel shortage.

Depending on the amount of experience, qualified officers hired will enter the EPPD at varying salary steps. Those officers who have retired from other departments with 20 years on the job or more would enter near the top step of pay. Those with less time can carry that over to their new position in city. But no existing ranks will be carried over. New employees, regardless of their standings in other departments, would be officers, not corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, etc.

According to information provided by Chief Parella after the meeting, the lateral hires will earn $62,371.22 but only if they have three years or more are completed as Rhode Island Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training certification. The chief said the range is exactly the same as for current officers, which is $52,210.45-$62,371.22 depending on years of service.

The pay process is a three-year incremental increase to the top step. Through the lateral entry program, the entrants carry over their years into that incremental process. The chief stressed “this strictly relates to base pay and nothing else.” Of note as well, every new officer entering the EPPD will have to complete a one-year probationary period regardless of their time as certified officers elsewhere.

“We’re hoping to get younger officers,” the chief said at the meeting, referring to experience level rather than age, “but we’ll probably get mostly retired officers.”

Chief Parella said even if more veteran personnel were added, it would still make sense financially for his department. He said the move would be paid for through asset forfeiture funds the EPPD earns through its investigations. To fully fund and outfit a new cadet it costs $21,270 per trainee, Chief Parella said. He noted to outfit and initiate a trained officer into the fold costs $7,696. So if he were use the lateral hiring program for 10 candidates it would cost a little more than $75,000 as opposed to almost $213,000.

Though Chief Parella said ideally he would like all new employees to enter the department as novices so they can be reared through EPPD procedures, he said this move is necessary. He noted he and his command staff have now been in place long enough, over three years, that they can “absorb” officers from other departments into the EPPD and effectively indoctrinate them into its culture.

“We’ve been really stretched for years,” the chief added. “It’s time to take a proactive approach.”

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MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.