SWAMPSCOTT — The union representing the town’s police force says they are understaffed, leading to an increased psychological and physiological burden on officers, yet town officials believe the department is properly staffed as currently constituted.
Tensions between the union and the town boiled over at a July 20 Select Board meeting, where Union President Kevin Reen took his and the union’s frustrations directly to the board, telling them that the department is “grossly understaffed” and that the level of staffing constitutes “gross negligence” on the town’s part.
At the meeting, Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said Reen was presenting “some political opinions that undermine the integrity of government” and not facts.
The crux of the conflict between the town and the union comes down to the number of sworn officers in the department — Reen says the department only has 28, while Fitzgerald says they have 32. The difference between the two figures can be attributed to Fitzgerald including two positions that are filled but have been on extended leave, as well as two candidates who received provisional offers from the town.
At a Wednesday night Select Board meeting, Chief Ruben Quesada backed Reen, saying the department is, in fact, understaffed, and is faced with four vacant positions. The department is authorized and allocated to have 32 sworn officers.
“I would say that we are not fully staffed. We do have two vacancies. We do have two other positions that have been out on extended leave … which has taken a toll on our police force mentally, physically, and psychologically,” Quesada told the board.
In a brief telephone interview Thursday, Fitzgerald said that he believes the department is properly staffed and blamed the decision to remove the department from civil service for the delay in filling some vacancies. Fitzgerald said the town is looking to hire with an eye toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“We’re not trying to talk the talk, we’re trying to walk the walk,” he said.
Quesada said that the department is able to respond to each and every 911 call it receives, but he noted that there is little flexibility on staffing.
“What it comes down to is, we are able to answer our calls for service, we are able to answer to emergencies. There’s not going to be a request, a Swampscott resident, nor has there been, since I’ve been here that said, ‘you never respond to my house, I called the police and you were never here,’” he said. “We have responded, we will respond. To be honest with you, I think that’s the frustration that officers are feeling based on the toll that they’ve taken in terms of having to work extra shifts, being detailed a shift, when somebody calls in sick, and there has to be somebody else who replaces them.”
Reen said he was thankful to Quesada for supporting the union’s concerns, which he called “important” to the union.
“He did validate our concerns and he echoed the concerns of psychological and physiological burnout,” Reen said. “He also pointed out that he has an extensive background in HR for police and that’s something that he did a very good job expressing and I think the Select Board accepted that with true meaning. They definitely hold him in high regard, as do we and, you know, he was able to point out that we’ve got four openings, and we gotta get something done.”
“That was refreshing to have him validate because we were both concerned about that,” Reen continued.
But, Reen said, he was “not ready” to say if the union’s relationship with the town had been smoothed over.
Fitzgerald said he believes much of the union’s frustration with the town is stemming from that decision to leave civil service, as well as other changes in the way Swampscott approaches policing.
“I just think there’s been quite a bit of change,” he said. “That type of change has been at the heart of some conflict, the way we hire, the way we recruit, the way we interview.”
Reen rejected the notion that change played any part in the union’s frustrations with the town.
“We have no problem with change. It’s the way in which that change is delivered,” Reen said. “When both parties, including a union counsel and town counsel, agree to a policy and say that it’s going to be upheld and utilized within its best interest. We don’t feel that it’s being upheld.”
“It gets to a point where we can carry so much and we understand that the town administrator is the hiring authority, but at the recommendation of multiple chiefs for specific candidates to have it not carried through is frustrating,” he continued, referencing the fact that both Quesada and former Interim Chief David Kurz recommended a number of candidates to Fitzgerald, who at this point, have not been hired.
Reen conceded that there were “emotions on both sides” of the dispute, but remained adamant that the department is understaffed and reaffirmed that his top priority is to restore staffing levels to a sufficient level that he and Quesada are comfortable with.
“Obviously, the faster the better but we have a process that is specific, and it would be fortunate to get them by [this time] next year … that would be a big relief,” he said.
Fitzgerald said he believes the two sides will be able to reach an agreement.
“We will get this done and we will be better for it,” he said.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
