SOUTH HADLEY — Pending two grant awards, South Hadley could hire two police officers this fiscal year to alleviate overtime for current officers and to help build relationships with juveniles and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
One position would reinstate the school resource officer (SRO) in South Hadley Public Schools. A Department of Justice grant would finance 50% of the position for three of the four required years.
The second officer would specialize in domestic violence and sexual assault outreach and investigations. The Violence Against Women Act grant would fund 75% of the officer’s salaray for three years.
The Select Board unanimously backed the decision to add the positions at its Oct. 6 meeting. Money previously reserved for a human resources director will be repurposed to match the grant funds.
“I really think that I need help from this board,” Police Chief Jennifer Gundersen said. “I need help from the community to support the police officers, and we can support them with staffing.”
The department’s staffing has held at 29 officers since 1995, but budget cuts, a vacancy and three officers on leave means that there are currently 24 officers working, even though calls for service have remained steady, Gunderson said. To keep patrol shifts covered, the department has eliminated its school resource officer assignment.
The chief said staff hours have increased 17% this year compared to the same time last year in order to cover shifts. The department called mutual aid 11 times in the last five months for backup, which did not happen at all last year, she said.
Morale in the department hit a low due to burnout and officer safety concerns, Gundersen said. Current staff are reluctant to fill the vacant sergeant position because they are uncomfortable with only two officers supporting the sergeant on shift.
A sergeant is currently out on medical leave after breaking his hand while responding to a mental health call. He only had one officer for backup, Gundersen said.
“I’ve recently had a conversation with one of our sergeants that, quite frankly, I envisioned that at some point in his career that he’d be in my seat,” she added. “He is applying for another job, and it’s disheartening for me to hear that. And he is doing this solely because of the reduction in staffing.”
Bringing back two police officers will help address the mental health needs of the community and build relationships with students, Gunderson said. The officer specializing in sexual assault and domestic violence would reach out to survivors following an incident and provide necessary support. South Hadley currently has at least six sexual assault cases open.
The school resource officer would return to patrol duties during the summer months, which alleviates staffing stress. Gundersen listed 12 incidents of juvenile delinquency in the last three weeks alone, including instances of breaking and entering, a missing person and physical and sexual assault. Typically, the school resource officer would respond to these incidents, but now, any officer on duty takes on that responsibility.
Appropriations Committee Member Julie Gentile asked whether the application pool would improve if the department could not hire a sergeant. Gundersen said the department will have an easier time finding an untrained officer to send to the academy than getting a trained police officer to leave their current community.
Select Board member Jeff Cyr asked if the schools could take on some of the financial burden of the school resource officer position. Town Administrator Lisa Wong said she has not asked the schools, but their budget is facing similar financial burdens.
“Some of the calculation for the schools is that they could potentially lose hundreds of thousands of dollars more without some investments that they’re making, so it would be a net negative,” she added.
South Hadley had prepared to post a job application for a human resources director after Chuck Romboletti left the position last week. Wong said she is willing to take on those duties in the short term to ensure public safety and well-being.
“This is not an uncommon insight into most departments or all departments throughout town,” Wong said. “That’s sobering, and there’s not necessarily an easy solution.”
