Crime & Safety
Police Commission Discusses Budget, Traffic, Crime
Chief: We are currently "bare bones across the board."
Following the State of the Town luncheon on Tuesday, the police commission met for its monthly meeting on Wednesday night to review traffic matters and the new budget for the Berlin police department.
The 2011-2012 police budget will come up for review by the Town Council on March 8. Budget expenditures include $100,000 for police vehicles as well as a line item for new mid-level management personnel. According to Police Chief Paul Fitzgerald, Town Manager Denise McNair denied salary increases for Chief Fitzgerald and Deputy Chief John Klett in the first budget evaluation. Present at the meeting, commissioners Joe Annunziata, Tony Letizio, and Rich Rampone expect the budget to be cut more at the March 8 hearing, the final step in the budget approval process. Fitzgerald maintains that the budget is currently “bare bones across the board,” and began the process that way.
In addition to fiscal matters, the commission discussed crime and traffic figures in the town of Berlin. “We’re still keeping a lid on crashes and crime,” Fitzgerald announced. As per police department figures, January traffic accidents dropped from 59 to 54 between 2010 and 2011. Fitzgerald acknowledges that the heavy January snowfall has been preventing police officers from patrolling the streets, as well as keeping drivers indoors. Commissioners agreed that it was dangerous for police officers to be on the road in severe weather, citing the lack of road shoulders for officers to pull over drivers.
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Over a 10-year period, crime rates decreased as well, said Fitzgerald. Though calls for service have increased, larceny, accidents, and traffic stop figures are down, and assaults and burglaries figures have flattened out. Fitzgerald attributed lower crime incidences to the diligence of the police force. However, the number of ambulance calls have increased in the town of Berlin.
Commissioners did not discuss the 2011 Citizen’s Police Academy, announced this past Monday. See Related story for Q & A on the Academy.
