Falmouth Selectmen Discuss Police Vacancies

 

FALMOUTH – Falmouth selectmen met last month to discuss staffing levels at the police department.

The town currently has a budget that allows for 63 paid positions, however only 48 of them are currently on duty.

The 15 vacant positions are a result of nine vacancies, a person out on sick leave, two on light duty, two out on line-of–duty injuries and one on paid administrative leave.

Both board members and Chief Ed Dunne expressed concern over the ability to serve the town with so many vacant positions.

“Forty eight officers is just so bare boned, particularly when you hear the number of things your responding to”, said Selectmen Chair Megan English Braga.

During July, August and September, the Falmouth Police Department answered 9,160 calls. That included 72 in-process domestic assaults, 195 domestic disturbances, 9 sexual assaults, 15 break ins, 105 larcenies, and 39 overdoses; two of which were fatal.

Town Manager Julian Suso expressed concern that the civil service system increases the time it takes to hire new officers.

“The civil service system that we are part of is a major slow down,” said Suso.

Dunne also cited a lack of interest in law enforcement as a major factor.

“Law enforcement is not a sought after career like it used to be, with everything going on in the world today with law enforcement,” he Dunne.

 

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