Lt. Justin Stanko
DERBY — The Derby Board of Police Commissioners met Monday (Feb. 12) for its monthly meeting. Here are a few highlights.
Lt. Justin Stanko Is Retiring
The commission unanimously accepted the upcoming retirement of longtime Derby Police Lt. Justin Stanko, who will retire next month.
Derby Police Chief Scott Todd said while Stanko’s last official day of work is March 8, Stanko will use his accumulated time off and sick leave to bring his actual last day of being paid to June 21, 2024.
With Stanko’s retirement set to leave a void in the ranks, Todd said he is in the process of discussing with the police union and the South Central Criminal Justice administration to run a promotional exam to fill the lieutenant position.
Todd said it’s likely the written exam and oral board interviews will convene in mid-April with the hope that the position will be filled in early May.
Police Budget News
Chief Todd gave the commission a brief update of what the department will be requesting in its annual budget for the 2024 – 2025 fiscal year. He said the budget ask represents a 1.1 percent increase over the current budget.
The main drivers of the increase are an increase in outside vendor contracts, along with an $8,000 increase in the line item for police vehicle maintenance, according to Todd. There are no contractual raises for employees slated in next year’s budget, Todd said.
Todd said there are three police vehicles currently sidelined and in need of “extensive repairs.”
“That line item (vehicle maintenance) in the budget has not been increased in the 30 years I’ve been a police officer here,” Todd told the commission. “The fact we were able to make it through largely is because of the fact the city gave us two new cars every year.”
Todd, at an Aldermanic subcommittee meeting last month, said the city usually purchases two new police vehicles a year so the department can maintain a healthy fleet. However, the police department went through two budget cycles with no new vehicles. Todd noted a lieutenant’s vehicle has over 100,000 miles. Another vehicle in the fleet needs $4,500 in repairs.
Click here and here for previous Valley Indy stories on the issue, and click here to watch a video of the chief explaining the situation to elected officials.
