The City of Westfield police headquarters located on Washington St. (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD- The Westfield Police Commission will meet Monday evening at 6 p.m. for a regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
Among the agenda items are the appointments of five new reserve officers, with six candidates being considered. Those being considered are Nicholas Albert, Sean Kelly, Nathan Kantor, Nicholas Liberto, Lily Ulinici, and Ronald Spafford. Next to Spafford’s name on the agenda is a note that the commission will enter executive session to discuss his background check.
The police department has recently been hit with a string of absences that has left the department with a depleted overtime budget while they are struggling to fill shifts. The five new reserve officers will give the department more options as they improve the situation.
The first item on the agenda under old business is a discussion about the deadline for individuals to submit resumes and letters of intent to fill the soon to be vacant Chief’s position. The deadline will be the beginning of the meeting. Current Chief John Camerota is set to retire in June.
The commission will also discuss the resignations of officer Jeffrey Vigneault and Timothy Fanion. Both officers were given a 15 day leave of absence to attend the 30-day State Police academy. They were given just 15 days due to the previously mentioned staffing crisis.
Commissioner Karl Hupfer said on multiple occasions that he believes that if they made it past 15 days then they would likely complete the academy and join the state police. Had they dropped out before that period was up, the commissioners said they would be welcomed back to the Westfield Police department. Their resignations from the Westfield Police department would indicate that they will be joining the state police.
The commission and the Chief will also give an update on the status of the School Resource Officers that are typically stationed in the schools around the city. The SROs were removed from their posts to fill out regular patrol shifts during the staffing crisis. Chief Camerota said during Wednesdays Public Health and Safety Committee meeting that the SROs would be introduced back into the schools in the near future.
Officers Zachary Dremers and William Ullrich will be considered to return to duty as well. They were two of the 18 officers that were on leave for various reasons at the peak of the staffing crisis. Although it is not specified why they were out, their return is a sign that the department is slowly gaining officers back. The officers that have been absent were gone for reasons ranging from injury, to military leave, to officers joining other departments like Vigneault and Fanion.
