Ashe said that concerns about police and fire manpower was raised during his initial meeting with police and fire supervisors.
Thomas M. Ashe
SPRINGFIELD – City Councilor Thomas M. Ashe has started regular meetings with top supervisors in the police and fire departments, aimed at increasing knowledge of their needs and concerns.
Ashe, chairman of the council’s Public Health and Safety Committee, said he is planning monthly public committee meetings at City Hall with police and fire officials and plan to meet with public safety officials once a month prior to the committee meeting.
“I think it makes sense to be a conduit with the two major public safety departments – police and fire,” Ashe said this week. “The council, certainly, and the public needs to be informed exactly what those departments are facing, whether it be manpower shortages, or budget concerns, or deployment in hot spots, and general crime and public safety concerns.”
Ashe’s initial meeting was at the police station, attended by two deputy police chiefs, a deputy fire chief, and Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant. It included discussion of concerns about police and fire manpower, Ashe said.
Both departments have significantly less personnel than 10 years ago through attrition and budget constraints, Ashe said. Both the mayor and council will conduct budget hearings in coming months before a new fiscal year takes effect July 1.
The Police Department is down approximately 200 officers from 10 years ago, and the Fire Department has similar manpower constraints, Ashe said.
“I will make sure the City Council and administration are aware of these numbers,” Ashe said. “It seems like every year it is getting worse. We are not backfilling as we need to.”
The Police Department has 361 officers, according to a spokesman.
The Fire Department has 223 firefighters and fire supervisors and 12 civilian employees.
The first meeting also involved a discussion of concerns raised about “aging, beat up” police cruisers and the general condition of the fleet, Ashe said.
Ashe said he expects the Public Health and Safety Committee will meet with the police and fire supervisors on Feb. 12, for continued discussion of those and other concerns.
Both Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet and Conant said they are pleased to meet with Ashe and the committee, and Fitchet said he is glad that Ashe is taking a “proactive approach.”