The Seymour Police Union has rejected a proposed change in police officer schedules that aimed to save the town money in overtime costs.
The new schedules were proposed by a joint town-police committee set up by former First Selectman Paul Roy in September.
The committee recommended the officers change from an eight-hour shift to a 12-hour shift, which would be worked over fewer days each week.
So instead of working five days a week, officers would work three or four days each week.
“This was the biggest cost savings for the town,” said Community Police Officer Sergio Desiderato, a member of the joint committee.
The proposals were brought to a Seymour Police Union vote on Dec. 1.
The union voted against the proposal, 19 – 13.
Desiderato said some people opposed such a long day.
While the specific proposal is dead, the committee plans to meet again and look at other ways the department can save money on overtime costs.
“We’re probably going to come back to the drawing board and come up with an alternative type schedule,” Desiderato said.
The joint committee has nine people on it — including police officers, police commissioners, a member of the Board of Selectmen, and town finance officials.
Roy did not name any Police Department administrators to the committee.
The town’s new First Selectman, Kurt Miller, said the committee will remain the same as when Roy made the appointments.
Miller said he wants to continue the review.
“Anything that would help curb the overtime costs but at the same time provide a good working environment for the officers, I’m for,” Miller said.
Miller said if any changes to the schedule are approved by the union, the department would test the changes out during a trial period.
The town would conduct weekly reviews of the new schedule to analyze the impact on overtime costs and “see if it truly makes sense,” Miller said.
In June 2011, Chief Michael Metzler said the department was spending anywhere from $8,000 to $11,000 a week in overtime to fill in 30 empty shifts due to absences.
Sgt. John D’Antona, a Seymour police officer and vice-president of the police department’s union, told the Board of Selectmen in September, that reconfiguring police officer schedules could save some of that money.
“We’ve seen wasteful spending and the membership gets a little frustrated at that,” D’Antona said in September.
