Cost of keeping officer concerns panel

The committee hopes to meet with school officials and discuss the situation.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Members of the city finance committee said keeping an officer in Girard High School was a good idea, but school and city officials need to discuss how to pay for the position.
A police officer was assigned to the school system late last year after incidents occurred that officials said could have compromised student safety.
In mid-September, police found .22-caliber bullets on the floor of a second-floor boys restroom at the high school. By the time police arrived, school officials placed the school on lock-down and moved students to one central location in the building. One week earlier, police and school officials also dealt with a bomb scare at the school.
Police Chief Frank Bigowsky said placing an officer in the school is expensive but invaluable. He said the officer should not be removed or there will be more problems.
Finance committee members agreed that having the officer in the school is important, but it costs the city about $72,000 annually to cover the officer's salary. Committee members said about $15,000 is expected to be given to the city from the schools to go toward the expense.
Wants more from schools
Committee member Tom Seidler said the school district has to contribute more to the cost of keeping the officer in the school.
"They should be paying at least half if not more, and based on these figures it's not even close," he said.
Committee member Frank Migliozzi said the finance committee needs to meet with school officials to discuss the issue. He said the committee will invite the school treasurer and superintendent to a special meeting in the coming weeks.
The city has been fighting its way out of fiscal emergency since 2001 and has had to reduce staff. Committee members said keeping an officer in the school will increase the amount of money the city spends in overtime in the police department to cover all shifts with fewer officers.
The police department spent $153,000 in overtime in 2005.
Bigowsky said officers in the department have been working for several years with increased overtime demands. He told the committee that officers' jobs are high-stress and that is compounded with heavy overtime requirements. He said it is a matter of time before the city begins to see the workload reflected in illness and sick leave.
Bigowsky said one way to get rid of some of the overtime would be to hire one dispatcher and a patrolman. That, he said, would cost the department about $98,000.
jgoodwin@vindy.com