SOUTH YARMOUTH – Officials from the Yarmouth Police Department recently spoke out about recommendations proposed by a consulting firm to reduce police staffing minimums.
After a study of emergency services in town, Matrix Consulting Group recommending reducing staffing minimums to five patrol officers during daytime hours and four after midnight with no increases during the busier summer months despite an increase in calls of 27 percent.
Speaking to selectmen last month, Police Chief Frank Frederickson said he does not think residents would like to see a reduction in service.
It’s not the time to be rolling back the services for our public,” Frederickson. “And quite honestly, I’m quite proud of the job we have done with the budget we had.”
Current staffing has a minimum of five patrol officers during the day and night with a reduction to four during the early morning hours, along with six officers on Friday and Saturday Nights.
During the summer months, patrols minimums increase to six during the day and nights with five in the early morning hours and seven on Friday and Saturday nights.
Consultants recommend a minimum of five patrol officers during the day and four at night even during the summer, despite the increase in calls.
“I think that if you ask most of the citizens in town they are pretty happy with it,” Frederickson said. “And if we want to roll back what we do then there is going to be some deficiency somewhere else.”
Frederickson did not believe the numbers the consultants used in their report were accurate and did not consider actions by patrol officers that are not related to calls for service.
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