MONTAGUE — A proposed organizational restructure of the Police Department seeks to modernize the agency as policing responsibilities change.
Haskins, who has been chief for a little over six months, explained to the Selectboard on Monday that, in coming into the department, he was interested in looking at the organization “as a whole.” He evaluated operations in a number of areas, like organizational effectiveness, risk management, succession planning and service delivery.
He noted the changes in how modern policing works compared to when the current structure was set. These differences include state accreditation requirements, compliance with standards set by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, expanded training requirements and increased public accountability.
Haskins said reorganization would create a command structure and ensure checks and balances, with administrative and command responsibilities being spread out among the command staff.
“This is a little bit more consistent with modern policing, and I think this restructuring fits more in line with what’s going on, especially in our own communities,” Haskins said.
Since Haskins took the helm, the Police Department has come back from a staffing shortage, achieving an 18-patrol officer roster. But this structure, he said, creates issues with all administrative responsibilities falling onto his shoulders, among other problems.
Currently, the department has no second-in-command, as the lieutenant position remains vacant. The staff sergeant, who is supposed to oversee the patrol officers and patrol sergeants, is acting as a patrol sergeant. Additionally, there is only one detective sergeant and there is no operational commander or administrative commander.
According to Haskins’ restructuring proposal, there would be a deputy chief in charge of overseeing the administrative command, including the lieutenant, administrative assistant, detectives, dispatchers and specialty units, like the patrol K-9 and school resource officers.
The lieutenant would be responsible for overseeing the operational command, including patrol sergeants and patrol officers, eliminating the need for a staff sergeant. The lieutenant would also oversee community policing and community event planning. Haskins said both residents and department staff have been eager to see these initiatives get off the ground.
“This is a better span of control, and it separates two sides,” Haskins said, referencing operations and administration, “[and] gives them very specific accountability of what we’re trying to achieve here.”
Haskins explained that this restructuring proposal wouldn’t require hiring new staff; rather, the positions would be filled through promotions.
When it comes to title changes and pay, Haskins explained there are overlapping pay scales for staff, making it difficult to predict the costs associated with restructuring. However, a preliminary savings of $3,475 per year can be predicted as the detective sergeant’s stipend and the staff sergeant’s shift differential would be eliminated amid the position changes. He noted there’s a “hidden cost” involved with the current structure, whether it’s in the form of missed grant opportunities, leadership gaps or project delays, among other areas.
“I think the next step is to have a meeting and make sure folks know, so if there’s anybody that wants to dig deeper, ask other questions, we’ll have the chief here for that,” Selectboard Chair Richard Kuklewicz said to close out Monday’s discussion.
