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STAMFORD, Conn. Despite an independent study that said the Stamford Police Department should reduce its staff, Police Chief Robert Nivakoff believes the department will be hiring more officers to reduce the workload on the force.
Matrix is over, and now its time to get where we should be, Nivakoff said during a Monday meeting of the public safety, health and wellness committee of the Board of Representatives. He said it seemed that the city was unable to hire officers while the study was ongoing.
The Matrix Consulting Group conducted a study during 2011 and early in 2012 and submitted its results in June. The report suggested reducing the minimum staffing requirements from 18 officers during the day and swing shift to 12 officers and from 16 at night to 10 to reduce overtime costs, one of the main reasons the study was conducted.
Assistant Chief James Matheny said he has been planning to meet with city officials to discuss how many additional officers it would take to reduce overtime costs. Currently, the department has 271 members, but in previous years more than 300 has been ideal, he said.
Members of the Board of Representatives also stated their displeasure with the firm and its results.
I dont see how in our right minds we could reduce staffing, said city Rep. Gabe DeLuca, R-14. The citys population has risen over the past 10 years, he said, and is expected to continue to rise. The police departments staff has been reduced over the same time period.
These people werent in Stamford long enough to know where they were, said Ralph Loglisci, R-13, describing how different each community is in the city.
No one from Matrix was at Mondays meeting. Its $43,000 contract with the city did not include meeting with the representatives. The consulting firm is based in Palo Alto, Calif.
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