Finding and retaining employees in a competitive market has been a challenge nationwide, and the Holland Police Department is no exception.
At the November 15 meeting, village council approved several measures they hope will help find and retain police officers. Over the past few months, the village has struggled to hire police officers, competing with neighboring jurisdictions. And most recently, a newly hired officer quit only about a week after being sworn in.
To combat the issue, council restructured a policy on vacation pay out, approving payment in lieu of accrued vacation hours.
Staffing levels are low, resulting in officers building up excess vacation time, explained Council President Ryan Spangler, adding they would like to cash out the time instead of taking vacation.
He noted that the policy is not specific to the police department and that any employee may utilize the payout.
The change permits employees to take a maximum payout of 80 hours in 2023 and 40 hours in 2024.
Council also approved a revision to a policy regarding reimbursement for certain expenses. To enhance recruitment, Mr. Spangler said the village may need to pay for some or all of an officer’s police training.
The paid training is conditional upon the officer signing a commitment to work for the village for a certain period of time. Should they leave early, the officer must repay the village all or part of the training costs.
The policy also covers current officers who may wish to seek additional training, he explained.
In addition, council adopted a lateral transfer for officers leaving one jurisdiction to work for the village. The transfer would take into account an officer’s rank and years of service when hiring.
“The police feel this is a better recruiting tool, taking into account their pay for years of service at another agency,” Mr. Spangler explained.
Lieutenant Jim Piotrowski expressed appreciation to council. “Thank you for addressing the issues we have been having. It’s been a rough year,” he said.
Other Business
In other business, council:
•Accepted the total appropriations for 2023 of $4,806,360.
•Authorized the purchase from Axon of seven body cameras, $8,796; six in-car cameras, $14,975, and eight tasers, $6,135 for the police department. By approving the purchases before the end of the year, the village locks in the pricing, explained Councilman Scott Brown.
•Approved the purchase of accessory equipment for a new police car from Connections at a cost of $6,720.
•Paid bills totaling $263,147.
Due to the holidays, council’s next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 13, in council chambers, 1245 Clarion Avenue, Holland, and is open to the public.
~Jane Maiolo
