CONDITION CRITICAL
HOW CHESTER HOPES TO TURN TIDE IN FIGHT AGAINST CRIME
CHESTER >> “Loose lips sink ships.”
The slogan during World War II spoke of carelessness that might put citizens and servicemen in danger, warning against offering the enemy valuable intelligence gathered by the spread of rumor and hearsay.
In the case of the Chester Police Department last week, it was the rumor mill that generated “hysteria” regarding alleged layoffs within the department which had city crimefighters in a state of frenzy.
Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and members of the department were taken by surprise when rumors of layoffs had officers fearful of losing their jobs, months after 20 officers and detectives were forced into retirement.
“I saw all this crazy stuff about layoffs, I saw the news cameras running and a lot of this started a lot of hysteria and panic in the community,” Kirkland said. “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’”
Kirkland opened what was described as an “unprecedented” line of communication between the mayor’s office and police officers. Open dialogue among oath takers offered calm within the police department spread thin with layoffs and hampered by stalled contract negotiations. “They raised their hand, put their hand on the Bible and said they were going to protect and serve, just like I raised my hand to try to be the very best elected official in this city as I can possibly be,” said Kirkland on Wednesday.
While the scheduled meeting predated the layoff rumors, that topic was the first to be quashed by Kirkland.
After watching 20 police officers walk at the end of 2016 with buyouts and retirements, Kirkland and Police Chief James Nolan IV said staffing at times has been desperately thin, with the city’s financial distress is among the top issues facing the department.
Chester owes approximately $9 million plus accruing interest for not fully paying its employer contributions to the police fund, which is required by law. In addition, the city owes another $6 million for employer contributions to its three employee plans for 2016, according to a December report by state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale.
In the current pension scheme, included in the police contract that expired at the end of 2016, enables police to inflate pension payouts based on the number of overtime hours incurred. Between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2015, the audit uncovered “excessive” overtime in which one police officer allegedly worked more than 3,500 hours of overtime in a year, a number city officials called “humanly impossible” that nearly tripling their pension benefits to more than $10,000 a month.
Currently, there are restrictions on vacation time and officers are under heavy scrutiny for paid sick leave and the grossly abused pension payouts. The report by the auditor general’s office said the pension plan would be insolvent by 2019.
With only four officers on duty — one officer left a family event just to offer some additional manpower — Kirkland said amidst the rash of shootings that injured seven people over last weekend to have just four police officers on duty was insufficient.
“That was troubling to me on two levels,” Kirkland said. “One, because this city cannot be covered by four officers, and two, because officers don’t have anybody watching their back.”
Nolan said staffing restrictions have been difficult to compensate for at times.
“If you offer overtime to everyone in the police department after you’ve had call-outs, you have left what you have left,” Nolan said. “You can offer overtime, but if they choose not to come in, you’re at a stalemate.”
Kirkland joined with District Attorney Jack Whelan, members of city and county council, Chester police and Pennsylvania State troopers to announce a new partnership that will bring auxiliary manpower from the State Police into the city.
Starting in a manner of days, state troopers will begin patrols and aggressive crime fighting details that will offer Chester police some much-needed backup.
Whelan said the county would dip into drug forfeiture funds to offer residents a $1,500 reward on tips of illegal guns that ultimately lead to the arrest and prosecution of individuals. To fund state police costs for covering the city of Chester, Whelan said the county was dipping into forfeiture funds and funds directly from the casino.
Nolan said the news that state troopers will offer assistance in Chester was welcomed by city police.
“(We told them) there’s help on the way, we’re working on things, you’re not alone out there,” Nolan said. “We’re going to do everything we can to ensure your safety and the public good.”