Budget forces police chief to make choices; Transfers, OT part of juggling.

Byline: Scott J. Croteau

WORCESTER - Officers from several investigative units have been transferred to the patrol and service divisions to cope with staffing reductions in the Police Department.

In a letter to City Manager Michael V. O'Brien, Police Chief Gary J. Gemme states his department lost officers through layoffs and normal attrition and those staffing shortages in the uniformed divisions need to be addressed.

"In an attempt to maintain the safety of police officers assigned to the service division, patrol division, and the A-Team (Anti-Crime Team) of the impact division, several officers will be transferred," the chief writes. "To meet the staffing needs of the patrol division, service division, and A-Team I am forced to reduce the staffing in the gang and vice units, the detective division, and in the special crimes unit the reduction will be twenty-five percent of the personnel."

All of the transfers took effect yesterday. Three of the 12 members of the Special Crimes Division were transferred.

Chief Gemme said that division handles missing person cases, domestic violence, sexual assaults, child abuse and domestic violence prevention. Because of the cuts, the division will adjust its priorities and handle services in this order: sexual assaults, child abuse and missing person cases.

The Special Crimes Division has over the years created a state-of-the-art domestic violence prevention program that includes partnerships with different community organizations, the chief said.

Losing the proactive program because of cuts is not something he enjoys, he said, but there are no reasonable alternatives to deal with the staffing reductions in the front-line divisions.

"The loss of critical personnel will significantly impact our commitment to addressing domestic violence through proactive strategies," Chief Gemme writes. "Our domestic violence prevention strategies have been innovative, award-winning, and effective in combating this insidious crime."

Four officers in total will be transferred out of the gang, vice and detective units. Those units are already working with low staffing levels.

"One of the challenges now is we are losing street intelligence and information (with the transfers)," Chief Gemme said.

After the violence of 2004, the Police Department adjusted strategies in handling violent crime. All units shared information, and problem areas were the subject of a stronger police presence. With a fully funded department, officers were able to handle service calls, violent crime and quality-of-life issues through community policing.

"Our community remains safe due to the efforts of the WPD," Mr. O'Brien said. "Let the stats speak for themselves. These deep cuts have the potential to undo our investments over the last five years that have prevented the spikes of violence and crime facing every other major city."

Chief Gemme expects push back from the community because of these changes. The community was upset when the foot patrol around City Hall and Main Street was eliminated because of staffing shortages in the service and patrol divisions.

Soon the department will be down to 325 patrol officers due to layoffs, attrition, military services, injuries and unfunded positions. The department has 94 supervising officers, but that number will decrease soon as well.

Chief Gemme said the department is at its lowest staffing level since he became chief. Named in October 2004, he was sworn in in January 2005.

The cuts could go deeper in the coming fiscal year because 24 officer positions are funded with federal grants. The Police Department has applied for federal funds to pay for those positions, but officials learned more than $8 billion in grant applications are chasing the $1 billion in grant funds.

Chief Gemme said without the appropriate federal funding, he will have to use overtime money to pay for those positions. To retain those positions with overtime money, it would cost $1.1 million and essentially eliminate the overtime budget.

"I think we can predict overtime will be used to fund these officers," he said.

If all 24 positions are lost, the Community Impact Division most likely will be eliminated, the chief said.

"Key state and federal decisions as to local aid levels and public safety grants in the weeks ahead will determine where we go from here," Mr. O'Brien said. "These partnerships are key if we are to stay the course and preserve what we have all worked so hard for."

The Summer Impact Program will run, starting June 28, after the community and City Council requested the program run once again. Chief Gemme said the program has been successful in cutting down homicides and violent crime. Last summer, there were no fatal shootings or homicides.

The program, which places 14 officers and four supervisors on several nights into the early morning, will cost $394,000 in overtime cash. Summer Impact runs for 10 weeks.

NAME: WORCESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT