43
Salem recalls laid-off officer
By D.A. WILKINSON
SALEM
Mayor Jerry Wolford said Monday that the city will bring back a laid-off policeman to help fight growing crime.
Police officer Brandon Smith was recalled Monday to full-time duty but will not report until Friday.
Wolford said, “This decision was made due to the information I received this past week concerning the status and the back load of criminal investigations ... in Salem.”
There are about 36 cases including homicides, child abuse, criminal damage, robbery and theft. There also are about 30 cases of breaking and entering and burglaries, Wolford said.
Detective David Talbert had been working in uniform four days a week and one day a week as detective because of the police cutbacks. Three officers were laid off earlier this year.
The money for the recall was available because the police department kept overtime 50 percent below estimates. Salem’s police also voted to take a 2.75 percent pay reduction in their contract earlier this year.
Mike Burns, a union representative for the fire department, said, “Everyone pretty much took a [pay] freeze this year.”
Beside the fire department, workers in the city’s street department and utility departments also earlier took one-year freezes. Wolford pointed out that nonbargaining workers also agreed to a freeze.
More money is on the way. The city on July 16 began collecting income taxes from people who work in other towns and pay taxes where they work. In the past, those people did not have to pay Salem’s 1-percent income tax.