Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022 The FY 2023 Budget L ike every other department in Saugus town government, COVID-19 created some unique challenges for the Police Department over the past two years, according to Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli. The chief noted that the department’s interaction with the public decreased over that period. “Unfortunately, we had to continue to put a lot of community engagement programs on hold,” Chief Ricciardelli wrote in his FY 2023 budget proposal booklet presented to Finance Committee members at Wednesday (March 16) night’s meeting. “Our hope is that we are near the end of the pandemic,” the chief said, adding “so we can continue to reach out to the community with our CitiCIGARCIGAR GIFT P GIFT PACKSACKS UNDER UNDER $50 $50 R.YR.Y.O..O. TOBACCOBACCO -------------------TUBESTUBES We Sell Sell Cigars Cigars & AccessoriesAccessories Chris Dan HUMIDOR SPECIAL!HUMIDOR SPECIAL! $99.95 Complete!$99.95 Complete! Reg. 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CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE (781) 289-4959 STORE HOURS: Monday - Saturday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday & Holidays: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Steve zen Police Academy, National Night Out, District Attorney’s Summer Camp, Post Overdose Opiate Outreach and National Drug Take Back.” “We will continue to work with town department and different groups/organizations within the town in an effort to engage with the community, develop partnerships and proactively address the concerns of the community,” he said. “In closing, it is the goal of the Saugus Police Department to not only enforce the laws of the commonwealth and the bylaws of the town, but to make a signifi cant impact on the quality of life issues for our residents.” For the most part, Chief Ricciardelli crafted a level-funded budget with very few increases. With the contracts for the Superior Offi cers’ Association and the Saugus Patrolmen’s Police Chief Ricciardelli outlines the key features of his proposed Saugus Police Department spending plan By Mark E. Vogler Association set to expire on June 30 – the end of the current fi scal year, Chief Ricciardelli requested an additional $283,235 in full-time salaries and wages. The 2023 Fiscal Year budget requests $5.8 million for the 51 patrolmen, nine lieutenants, 10 sergeants, one administrative assistant, one principal clerk, one general assistant and one mechanic. In his budget booklet, Chief Ricciardelli noted that the department has increased parking enforcement by hiring an additional part-time enforcement officer. The additional person has resulted in an increase in parking ticket hearings, he said. The chief’s proposed overtime budget is $800,000 for the 2023 fi scal year, the same as the current budget. “The Police Department continues to operate with less than EXPLAINING HIS PLAN: Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli (left) at Wednesday (March 16) night’s Finance Committee meeting, joined by Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) CigarCigar BundlesBundles starting starting at $49.95 at $49.95 -------------------GIFT CARDSGIFT CARDS AVAILABLEAILABLE BuyBuy Cigars by theCigars by the Box & SA Box & SAVE!VE! CompetitiveCompetitive prices on all prices on all Brands, Great Brands, Great Selection Selection BUDGET | FROM PAGE 2 that an armed suspect was hiding inside Dick’s Sporting Goods,” Chief Ricciardelli said. “As a result of the agreement the Saugus Police Department must commit four of its offi cers to the NEMLEC team. These offi - cers will be required to do eight hours of training per month with NEMLEC. One of our offi cers is also a member of the NEMLEC SWAT team,” the chief said. As a member of the SWAT team, the offi cer is required to do 16 hours of training per month as well as 60 hours of in-service training, he said. “NEMLEC has a Critical Incident Stress Management Team that uses three members of our department. These members will need to train for eight hours each month. The Saugus Police Department is responsible for the training overtime costs of these offi - cers,” the chief said. With the amount of gun violence on K-12 school campuses throughout the country, the chief said the Police Department needs to be trained and prepared for a potential incident at the new Saugus Middle-High School. “With the recent opening of the new High School/Middle School, we believe it would be a great time to begin active shooter classes in the new school,” the chief said. “This would not only allow our officers to continue to familiarize themselves with the layout of a school that they never attended but also give us a chance to run some active shooter response drills.” The chief said he has requested funding for a fourhour block of training for all of the department’s offi cers. Fire Chief Newbury said the Fire Department is in the process of hiring four new fi refi ghters. “That will bring us back to our high-water mark of 60,” he said. our full complement of offi - cers. As a result, the department uses overtime to fi ll vacancies that are created by offi cers taking contractual time off ,” the chief said. “Due to the staffi ng issues anytime one offi cer is absent, the department must fi ll the shift with overtime. The Police Department has had long term offi cer injuries, family medical leave, military drills/deployments and vacancies due to retirements which have added to the ongoing staffi ng issue. The chief’s proposed budget for the 2023 fi scal year includes $316,572 for overtime training – a $60,669 increase over the existing budget. The Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) has mandated eight hours of professional development training. Recently, the MPTC expanded the hours from eight to 20. The new required training courses include Cultural Competency, Emergencies Involving the Mentally Ill, De-escalation, Human Traffi cking and Offi cer Wellness series. “Training is an investment,” Chief Ricciardelli said. “One of the best ways to jeopardize an organization’s future in today’s world and increase the probability of troubled times is to look at training as a cost,” the chief said. “The price of not providing training or providing substandard training that operates as a Band-Aid for real training is dangerous.”
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