Columbus Police chief cites buyout as reason to boost summer OT pay for park patrols

Last summer Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced that the city would pay $20 million to entice 100 longtime police officers whom he said were "resistant to change and reform" into retirement, part of the city's effort to reimagine public safety.

On Monday, the city's police chief informed the Columbus City Council that because of those departures — each coming with a $200,000 "buyout" check — the department would need to pay the city's remaining officers double-time to ensure that it can draw enough volunteers to patrol city parks on overtime this summer.

That's a 33% pay increase over the regular time-and-a-half rule for overtime worked past any given eight-hour shift that is currently spelled out in the police union contract.

The buyout was included in a three-year contract approved last year that also gave officers a 14% overall raise over its term, and was expected to cost the city an additional $70 million.

Violence in city parks, but not enough police officers to patrol without overtime

"The reality is that we do have a shortage" of officers now that the division will lose a third of the 100 officers who were paid to quit each month over the next three months, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant told the council. While the city is in the process of hiring new officers, "that's not going to happen this summer," as they must go through a cadet training program.

"We want to make sure that we have a safe summer for our residents," Bryant said. "We want to make sure that people can enjoy the parks, they can enjoy outside."

With summer events opening back fully up this year after being curtailed by COVID-19, "it is our priority to make sure that people can come out and enjoy this without fear of having a type of incident that can occur," Bryant said.

Columbus parks have recently been the scene of several violent crimes, including a string of shootings — several fatal — that began last month, including parks Downtown, on the Hilltop, and the Near East Side. An 8-year-old girl was wounded in the abdomen by gunfire after a knife fight broke out between adults at Weinland Park last week.

The Dispatch reported this month that the city police buyout, accepted by four commanders, nine lieutenants, 28 sergeants and 59 officers, would strain staffing over this summer until new hires can fill the void. The city is waiting to see if a portion of the additional 120 officers who had applied for the buyout but were turned down may also retire.

"It may be a challenging summer," Assistant Chief Greg Bodker told The Dispatch this month.  "...Officers might not be in the park as much as we might like them to be. There's a lot of streets and neighborhoods to patrol in addition to the parks."  

"We're facing unprecedented times, and it takes thinking creatively and digging deep," Council President Shannon Hardin said of the decision to amend the police union contract to allow for the overtime pay boost. "...This is an out-of-the-box idea to solve a specific issue that we have this summer."

The agreement with the police officer's union, the Fraternal Order of Police, will allow the city to pay officers "to work Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It allows up to 40 additional officers in high-visibility areas to assist regularly scheduled patrol" between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m., according to a written release from Ginther's office.

“Summer is traditionally a time of higher crime, so we need to do all we can to keep our residents safe,” Ginther's written statement said. “Additional staffing during weekends and well-lit parks are part of a sweeping plan to prevent crime this summer.”

The price tag for the overtime increase wasn't immediately available. The agreement also prevents officers from being on paid time off and working overtime at the same time, stating that compensation can only be paid once for the same hours worked.

In addition to the additional officers, the city will pay $500,000 to install 25 temporary solar-powered lights and security camera systems at parks. The units have the ability to record video continuously for up to 14 days, and are mobile, allowing them to be moved to different parks as needed, said Dan Giangardella, deputy director of public safety.

The rental is a no-bid contract due to the number of units needed quickly, Giangardella said.

"This provides us with another set of eyes in the community," Giangardella said.

"But our officers can't do this alone," added Council Member Nick Bankston. "So yes, we're being proactive by having more eyes, but the eyes that we need are the ones in our community, so if you see something, say something."

In other business Monday, council waived city code governing the sale of property to sell for $1 a bomb-sniffing dog owned by the Division of Fire's bomb squad to his handler, firefighter Jacob Castle, after the dog retired from service last month due to medical reasons.

Castle "will continue to provide a good home to this canine that has served the citizens of Columbus for the past 3 years."

wbush@gannett.com

@ReporterBush

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police officer shortage: Overtime boosted for park patrols