OCEAN CITY — Whether it’s a decrease in the number of applicants or fewer applicants that meet the standards, finding enough seasonal officers to meet the Ocean City Police Department’s needs continues to be a challenge.
OCPD Chief Ross Buzzuro presented the department’s requested fiscal year 2017 budget to the Mayor and Council on Monday as part of the ongoing budget work sessions. During a discussion of the OCPD’s proposed fiscal year 2017 budget of around $20 million, the discussion came around to the number of seasonal officers recruited and hired, and the chief told the elected officials a variety of factors continued to create challenges in filling out the ranks.
After hiring just 68 seasonal officers last year while seeking around 100, Buzzuro said the department would likely come in closer to 80 this year although reaching even that number is challenging. However, shifts in personnel responsibilities and duties somewhat lessen the impact of a decidedly smaller seasonal officer pool.
“Meeting that 100 number starting last year has been a hard number to get to,” he said. “We realized we can get to a number closer to 80. What we have done to offset the lower number of seasonal officers is to increase the responsibility of our public safety aides. With the shifting of the balance in the personnel, we’ve been able to maintain the optimal level of performance from an operational standpoint.”
When asked if the lower number of season officers was related to the fewer number of applicants or the higher standards for seasonal officers, Buzzuro said both factors played a role.
“It’s a little bit of both somewhat,” he said. “It’s a difficult time for law enforcement. We’re not seeing the number of individuals that want to enter into the field of law enforcement as we did in years previously.”
Buzzuro said the higher standards for seasonal officers, including a new psychological exam for candidates, was shrinking the pool of potential officers, but added it was a situation all law enforcement agencies are dealing with.
“Also, with our standards, we’re seeing the applicants not being able to meet them,” he said. “They’re falling short. It’s not just an Ocean City phenomenon. It’s going on all over the country. All law enforcement agencies are struggling with hiring officers.”
Despite the struggle in filling out the seasonal officer rolls, Buzzuro said the higher standards are resulting in better quality officers across the board.
“We’re seeing a better group of officers in the last two years,” he said. “We can really see the difference. We wanted the same standards as the rest of the state has and we’re giving season officers a lot more responsibilities and duties. We have a benchmark where we wanted to go and we’ve been able to do that.”
In related news pertaining to the OCPD and its requested budget, Buzzuro on Monday said the department was seeking an additional $45,000 this year to offset the cost of bringing extra officers from allied law enforcement agencies during vehicle-related special events.
During certain special events, including the spring and fall Cruisin’ events along with the H20i event in the fall, the OCPD needs assistance from outside agencies, including the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police, for example, to help manage the events. Buzzuro said events like Cruisin’ often involve bringing in as many as 50 additional officers at a cost of around $100 per officer per day for lodging and food, which was why the department was seeking an additional $45,000.
Mayor Rick Meehan questioned whether the potential income from the special permit and sticker now required for parking trailers and oversized vehicles on city streets during vehicle-related special events could help mitigate the costs.
The Mayor and Council recently approved an ordinance allowing only those officially registered for the events to park oversized trailers on city streets. Those “hangers on” not registered for the events would not be able to purchase the trailer permits.
After hearing the OCPD’s request for an additional $45,000 to offset the cost of outside assistance during the special events, Meehan suggested the revenue derived from the trailer parking permits be dedicated to the department.
“I really believe that ought to go to the OCPD,” he said. “If there are 200 permits per event, that’s $30,000 from each event. I think that’s very important. We don’t want to take a step back. The department knows what it needs and the money from the permits could help fund those needs.”
Councilman Wayne Hartman agreed with dedicating the permit revenue to the OCPD for outside assistance.
“It’s a great way to show we’re justified in implementing the new trailer ordinance,” Hartman said.
The council voted unanimously to dedicate a portion of the permit fees to the OCPD for outside assistance during special events.
