By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff
The Boston Globe
BOSTON, Mass. — Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis is trying to cut overtime spending dramatically after learning that his department has overspent its overtime budget by about $22 million since July 2005.
Because the department relies heavily on officers working overtime shifts, however, union officials expressed concern yesterday that his moves would jeopardize officer safety.
The reduced number of officers who “patrol the streets is going to have serious consequences, especially as we enter some of the most violent months of the year,” said Lieutenant Joseph Gillespie, president of the Superior Officers Federation. “We need more officers on the street in the current climate . . . for officer safety and to reduce crime.”
Superintendent Robert Dunford said the department is not endangering officers, but only cracking down on out-of-control overtime spending.
He said the department is reining in overtime for unnecessary units. Under new guidelines issued by the commissioner and Dunford, district captains will be able to employ officers on overtime only when the number of people available to work falls below a newly determined level, which was not disclosed . The commissioner has ordered commanders to put the top priority on responding to 911 calls.
“The commissioner wants high visibility,” Dunford said. “We were spending a lot of money putting out units when we really didn’'t have to.”
Dunford said the department is putting less emphasis on plainclothes officers, because community residents have asked for more visibility. He said he could not provide specific numbers regarding the reductions, which will vary by district and shift.
On the busy 4 p.m.-to-midnight shift, for instance, some districts will deploy perhaps two fewer patrol cars than usual, Dunford said. He said he studied the types of calls each district handled when determining how to bring overtime budgets into line.
Court overtime, which officers are paid to attend court, is also being scrutinized, Dunford said. He said district attorneys are being asked to tell officers they are not needed in court when cases are postponed. The department is also examining whether more detectives than are needed are showing up in court to earn overtime.
Copyright 2007 The Boston Globe