Fringe Benefits

 Anyone who's worked Patrol over the past year or two knows that the EHPD fleet of vehicles is in pretty bad shape. While we have a few newer vehicles many of the older ones are in various states of disrepair and are constantly in and out of the shop for repairs due to break downs or crash damage. As a result many of the cars that are still on the road end up running 24/7 as the oncoming shift often has to call the outgoing shift in off the road to take their cars.

So, we were glad to see in some documents we received that we are budgeted to get 6 new cruisers, and one new K9 vehicle. The existing K9 cars are in especially bad condition, being Crown Victoria models that haven't been produced since the 2011 model year.

However it was pretty surprising to see this sentence in the document that after the patrol vehicles were purchased, "remaining monies to be utilized for purchasing a 2021 Chevy Tahoe LS for the Chief of Police." While East Hartford Police Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs have long gotten free take home cars as a fringe benefit, this purchase is surprising because Chief Sansom just recently got a 2020 Ford Explorer. So I wouldn't think that SUV is already so worn out that he needs to replace it with a brand new 2021 Tahoe with a $52,600 starting MSRP. And his Deputies are also currently driving relatively new Ford Explorers as well.

The other problem with this is that ever since Chief Sansom was hired, he has taken to purchasing non-Police package vehicles for himself and his Deputies, instead opting for more expensive, fancier civilian models. The previous Chief, Mark Sirois, would purchase a new vehicle for himself nearly annually, but his take home vehicle was usually a basic Police package fleet vehicle, the same as everyone else. That way when he got a new vehicle, his old one could simply be rotated into the fleet at no loss to the overall Department. With these civilian spec vehicles Chief Sansom opts to purchase however, there is very limited use for them after he's done with them since they can't be equipped for Patrol and aren't pursuit rated.

Chevrolet actually sells two models of Police specific Tahoes, a PPV and SSV, which can usually be had for less money than the civilian models, and come pre-wired for Police equipment like radios, computers, and lights. However these models usually come with a far more basic exterior appearance, and a stripped down interior devoid of higher end features, they prioritize function over form. On the civilian model the Chief is purchasing for himself, the Town will also have to pay extra to get it wired up on top of the already increased purchase price, further inflating the cost.

So what does any of this have to do with us? Well it comes back to a recurring theme on this blog, where the Town and their officials have consistently told us that they don't have money to afford things like training, equipment, raises, or better health insurance. But when the time comes to buy the Chief yet another new up-specced SUV or other Administrative want, suddenly the cash flows. They seem to be selectively broke when it's convenient for them, yet flush with cash when they want to be. So I thought I'd try to find a few things the Department could purchase with about $55,000 if the Chief could bear to drive his old 2020 Explorer for another year. 

For about $53,000 we could acquire another new K9 car. The three in use right now are relatively dilapidated, and only one currently appears to be budgeted to be replaced. 

For about $51,000 you could also purchase brand new ballistic vests for about half the Department. Manufacturers usually recommend replacement about every 5 years.

For just a few thousand dollars we could get all new, and a greater number of computers for the Patrol report writing room. Currently we don't even have enough computers for an entire squad to use them at the same time, and often times at least one isn't working. It's not uncommon to see Officers standing in the back of the room waiting their turn to use a computer, especially during the overlap period between shifts. 

In fact, for $55,000 you could even outfit about half of Patrol with brand new laptops (Or all of Patrol with refurbished). This way each Officer could have their own computer that they put in a docking station inside the car like many other Departments do instead of having desktops in the building and tablets permanently installed in the cars.

$55,000 can be used to pay for a good portion of the cost of a used armored vehicle for the SWAT team. They haven't had an armored car since the old one caught on fire while driving down Route 2 a several years back and have since resorted to driving around in what is effectively a box truck. A new armored truck would obviously make it much safer for our team members to operate in the field on volatile scenes.

$55,000 could also pay for about 957 hours of overtime so Officers and Detectives can do things like follow up on cases and respond to crime scenes. Or you put together crime prevention details to tackle the epidemic of auto thefts and car burglaries that seems to have no end in sight. Or you could just use it to pay for the overtime we're incurring every day due to being short staffed.

You could also use that money to pay for the necessary retraining we all now need to re-learn how to do our jobs without getting arrested under the new Police Accountability Act. This law has fundamentally changed how Policing works in Connecticut, yet we haven't really received any new training on what we're supposed to be doing differently now. This has left our members in limbo wondering what to do, and at risk of having their lives ruined by simply doing what they have been trained since day 1 of their careers.

Then of course there's the obvious, we could just buy another Patrol car... and have money left over.

I could keep going on, but I think the point is made. The priorities of the people in charge here are just backwards. A good manager would want to ensure that the people working on the front lines have the training and equipment they need to do their jobs effectively, and are well compensated before spending money that we supposedly don't have to buy unnecessary new family vehicles for themselves on the taxpayer's dime.

There will be a new Mayor coming into Office by the end of the year, hopefully whoever that ends up being will take a hard look at how the dollars are being spent at EHPD.