WESTFIELD – The Westfield Police Commission acted Monday evening to alleviate a pressing manpower shortage at the city’s police department and hired four full time officers from the roster of reserve officers.
“We’re in a position now where we’re down in our manpower levels” Police Chief Camerota said at Monday’s meeting of the commission. The commission acted to hire four officers, giving preference to the candidates most ready to join the patrol force as fully trained officers.
The commission interviewed nine candidates – Sean Connors, Gary Hagar, Sean F. Smith, Melissa C. Burns, Timothy T. Fanion, Ryan J, Kularski, Matthew R. Schultze, Brendan P. Irujo and Jeffrey M. Vigneault – from the 14 officers on the reserve list.
Camerota said “We’re probably at the lowest (level of manpower) I’ve ever seen so our goal, or task, tonight is to get people on the street immediately and we can do it with these four officers – Connor, Hagar, Smith and Schultze – so that’s my recommendation.”
Capt. Michael McCabe, who supervises the patrol force, also recommended those four candidates.
The city’s police force has been diminished in recent months due to several retirements, with another expected early in October and a second planned for February.
In addition, five officers who are off duty due to illnesses or injury handicap the staffing schedule.
“We’ve got awesome candidates” Commissioner Felix Otero said and went on to say that the commission would choose the candidates who are “going to be most useful to the Westfield Police Department.”
With that in mind, the commissioners and the chief repeatedly pointed out that all the officers interviewed are likely to be appointed eventually but Camerota said that the department is in the unusual position of interviewing candidates for full time positions who have not completed training.
“I’ve never seen reserves get interviewed for a full time job (when) they haven’t even gone through their training yet.”
Connors worked as an auxiliary officer for four years before he was appointed as a reserve officer a year ago.
McCabe said Connors has worked “2,000 hours over the past five years, both as an auxiliary for the first four years and as a reserve.” He has completed the reserve academy course and has completed the field training offered by the city’s force.
Hagar has also completed the reserve academy course and McCabe said that he completed the field training program “without any difficulties whatever.”
Smith, McCabe said, “uniquely has the quality of already being a police officer (on the Longmeadow force) for two years. He’s gone through the municipal training academy already so he’s well ahead of his peer group.”
McCabe said that Schultze has “gone through the reserve intermittent academy and I can get him trained in our field officer training program.”
Capt. Hipolito Nunez, who acknowledged that he does not know the candidates as well as McCabe who performed their background checks, endorsed the same candidates McCabe recommended in the same order.
“These are the four who are ready to go running and help us the most” said Nunez, who serves as the department’s administrative captain.
Camerota pointed out to the other five reserve officers that they haven’t had the opportunity to even take the physical agility test and said that they are not on track to complete their training until January.
“I just can’t afford to wait that long” he said.
He repeatedly assured the bypassed candidate that he is “thrilled” with the quality of the pool of candidates and pointed out that additional openings are on the horizon. He encouraged them to be patient as they continue the process which will lead to full time police careers.
The commissioners accepted the judgment of the department’s three senior officers and voted unanimously to appoint the officers they recommended.
Commissioner Leonard Osowski, who chaired the meeting in the absence of ailing commission chairman Karl Hupfer, said “Everybody’s a great candidate but you can’t pick everybody.”
