Police Chief Nick Secatore presented the Police Department’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 at a recent Select Board meeting.

The department’s requests would result in a 6.4% budget increase compared to FY24 if approved for a total of $3,567,793, not including capital requests.

“I just don’t know how that fits with the overall scheme of things here with the upcoming budget,” Select Board member Dick Dalton said at the meeting. 

Secatore then agreed to supply a physical breakout of the budget after the meeting, explaining that some of it consists of contractual and extra increases. 

As part of the 6.4% increase, the department is requesting $77,000 to hire one full-time police officer to help decrease the amount of overtime officers are taking on. Secatore said overtime expenses are currently costing the town more than they should and compelling officers to take on shifts they might not want. 

“When you take someone out of play and you add an additional five shifts per week, it becomes expensive for the town, it becomes taxing on the other officers who are filling that shift in,” Secatore said. “By adding a police officer, it’s a win for the department and the town who don’t have to constantly transfer in money.” 

Dalton then asked what would happen if the additional officer does not have enough time to fill in a week. 

“We have the ability to use them in any capacity,” Secatore said. “They could help with investigating, administrative work, or they can be a patrol officer.”

Select Board Chair Joe Connell then asked how the new officer could help fill in during the summer, when they anticipate a higher number of vacation requests from police officers. 

“We do limit the amount of people that could be out per week, and the officers work together great, but then you add in you got three people out and now you’re down an officer,” Secatore replied. “It gets hard in the summer months, and this would go a long way to alleviate that.”

Throughout the presentation, Secatore emphasized that even with the request for a new officer, overtime opportunities will not be taken away from current officers.

Select Board member Phil Crawford also asked if there would be a patrol car ready for the new officer. Secatore said there would be, and moved on to describe the department’s capital requests.

“We are requesting two police cruisers,” Secatore said. “But we’re not asking for money for a new car, we’re just asking to replace existing cars.”

Dalton asked how long cruisers typically last, and Secatore said that the department typically keeps its cars for six to seven years. 

The capital requests total $140,000, including two police vehicles for $120,000, battery backup systems for $10,000, and a generator for $10,000.