It depends on whom you ask. City manager says union boss exaggerates.
Sgt. Don Gosline runs morning roll call at the Auburn City Police Department.Auburn, NY -- In the early hours of June 16, Auburn city police were called to a domestic disturbance on Cottage Street. A woman had been hit in the head with a baseball bat, and her apartment windows had been bashed in.
But, no city police officers were readily available. They were all working other calls, so the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office— which typically operates outside the city — was diverted to the emergency, police reports show. It’s not the first time deputies or state police have had to step in for city police when they were busy — and it probably won’t be the last, Police Chief Gary Giannotta said.
Giannotta said the June 16 call reflects his department’s critical shortage of officers and the increasing number of calls his staff takes. Making matters worse, more of those emergencies involve violent behavior, he said.
The staff shortage, Giannotta added, is putting his officers at risk and imperiling public safety.
“How do I feel? Scared. Someone’s going to get hurt,” Giannotta said.
The police chief would like to hire more officers, he said, but City Manager Mark Palesh and Mayor Mike Quill both contend the department is adequately staffed.
Quill said the city sometimes has to cut costs when times are tough, as with the current economy, he said.
“There are a lot of people out there who are out of work or whose houses are being foreclosed. We can’t keep raising taxes, or we’re going to create a ghost town,” Quill said.
All city departments have had to do more with less, Palesh said, mostly because of the state’s ongoing budget crisis.
However, Tim Cottrell, president of Auburn Police Local 195, shares Giannotta’s concerns, saying more officers are needed before someone gets hurt.
“I know things come down to money, but public safety should be of the utmost concern,” Cottrell said.
The current city budget eliminated two patrol officer positions, saving the city about $143,000 in salaries and benefits, Comptroller Lisa Green said. However, the police department budget rose $400,000 to $7.9 million, largely because of pay raises and an increased contribution to the state retirement pension, Green said.
Another officer remains out of work after being bitten on the hand, and two or three more officers are expected to retire by spring, Giannotta said.
“I know we’re all supposed to do more with less, but I’ve been doing more with less ever since I became chief 14 years ago. Something’s got to give...” he said, noting he believes now’s the time to do it.
Quill, who was Auburn fire chief for 11 years, said all who direct public safety departments feel they’re understaffed.
“But as city administrators we have to focus on what the city can afford.” Quill said.
The union has worked without a new contract since July 2008 and is taking the city to arbitration. Palesh said he believes Cottrell is exaggerating staffing-related problems and the number of calls police respond out of frustration with the lack of a contract.
“Everything with Tim is the glass being half-empty. I take everything he says with a grain of salt,” Palesh said.
Police calls have recently dropped, Palesh said, but reports provided by Giannotta show they’re up from a year ago. In the first half of 2010, city police responded to 13,720 calls, compared to 9,998 for the same period in 2009, Giannotta said. That’s a 37 percent increase.
More and more of those calls involve violent disturbances like the Cottage Street ruckus, a trend that places his officers in harm’s way, Giannotta said.
“It’s getting more dangerous for us to do our jobs. People don’t care anymore, they don’t respect police officers,” Giannotta said.
--Contact Scott Rapp at srapp@syracuse.com or 289-4839.