Council adopts police agreement

Perry Village Council has given its authorization to revise part of a cooperative agreement involving the community’s police department.

Council, at its April 11 meeting, approved a resolution to confirm that a pact between the Perry and North Perry Village police departments has been amended.

In August 2022, both police departments entered into an agreement that involved a new system for scheduling officers; terms for providing mutual aid; and striving to achieve consistency in benefits, compensation and training.

One aspect of the pact called for officers from the two police departments to begin working shifts designated on a single schedule.

However, the North Perry and Perry Village police chiefs began to encounter difficulties in having two department scheduling two departments in unison.

About three weeks ago, Perry Mayor James Gessic and North Perry Mayor Brian Titus agreed to discontinue scheduling the two departments as a single entity.

From a legislative standpoint, resolutions regarding the police pact were passed by North Perry Village Council on April 4 and Perry Village Council on April 11.

Both of those measures confirm that the cooperative police agreement has been modified to focus on the areas of mutual aid, benefits, compensation and training.

In addition, a group known as the Perry and North Perry Village Police Retention will remain in place.

This panel consists of both communities’ mayors and police chiefs; and two council members from each town. The committee was established to explore of improving retention of police officers at the North Perry and Perry Village police departments.