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Clerical hours at Dansville police department will be cut by more than half after a decision by village trustees Tuesday night.
The trustees had discussed last month the possibility of eliminating all the clerks. That would have meant transferring duties to other clerical staff within the village or to the officers themselves.
But after considering the issue and looking at staffing levels at other villages in the county, officials settled on cutting clerical hours from 70 hours a week now to 24 hours a week beginning Sept. 26.
“I’m not overly supportive of this,” Police Chief Charles Perkins said. He noted that the department is getting data terminals in vehicles, but despite the benefits of computers, “They don’t come with legs. They don’t come with arms. They don’t use fax machines. They don’t use copiers. They don’t put pieces of paper in folders.”
He said those responsibilities will need to be taken up elsewhere in the department.
“Officers cost a lot more than clerical,” Perkins said.
How the department uses the clerical hours will be up to Mayor Peter Vogt along with Perkins, but at Tuesday night’s board meeting it appears the village will use 16 hours for eight-hour weekend shifts. The other eight hours will be used on a sliding schedule.
“I’m not totally in agreement of reducing the total number of clerks,” Vogt said. He added that he does not want to see this as a step toward eliminating clerks altogether. The mayor said the personal touch in Dansville was one reason he chose to raise his family here instead of Washington, D.C.
“Yes, you can save some money, but not everything can be measured in money,” Vogt said.
With the clerks going away, Perkins repeated concerns about the quality of personal contacts within the community. On most weekdays, there will be no clerks in the police department offices. Though the department will still retain some internal clerical support, some duties will be picked up by other village clerks and officers. The village will also attempt to forward the police department phone to on-duty officers.
Perkins also pointed out that comparisons to other communities need to take into consideration factors like proximity to other departments, population and other community elements.
Trustees agreed to reassess the issue in a few months to determine if further action is necessary.
Clerical hours at Dansville police department will be cut by more than half after a decision by village trustees Tuesday night.
The trustees had discussed last month the possibility of eliminating all the clerks. That would have meant transferring duties to other clerical staff within the village or to the officers themselves.
But after considering the issue and looking at staffing levels at other villages in the county, officials settled on cutting clerical hours from 70 hours a week now to 24 hours a week beginning Sept. 26.
“I’m not overly supportive of this,” Police Chief Charles Perkins said. He noted that the department is getting data terminals in vehicles, but despite the benefits of computers, “They don’t come with legs. They don’t come with arms. They don’t use fax machines. They don’t use copiers. They don’t put pieces of paper in folders.”
He said those responsibilities will need to be taken up elsewhere in the department.
“Officers cost a lot more than clerical,” Perkins said.
How the department uses the clerical hours will be up to Mayor Peter Vogt along with Perkins, but at Tuesday night’s board meeting it appears the village will use 16 hours for eight-hour weekend shifts. The other eight hours will be used on a sliding schedule.
“I’m not totally in agreement of reducing the total number of clerks,” Vogt said. He added that he does not want to see this as a step toward eliminating clerks altogether. The mayor said the personal touch in Dansville was one reason he chose to raise his family here instead of Washington, D.C.
“Yes, you can save some money, but not everything can be measured in money,” Vogt said.
With the clerks going away, Perkins repeated concerns about the quality of personal contacts within the community. On most weekdays, there will be no clerks in the police department offices. Though the department will still retain some internal clerical support, some duties will be picked up by other village clerks and officers. The village will also attempt to forward the police department phone to on-duty officers.
Perkins also pointed out that comparisons to other communities need to take into consideration factors like proximity to other departments, population and other community elements.
Trustees agreed to reassess the issue in a few months to determine if further action is necessary.
