Newark Police Department back on 24hour shift coverage
Nov 01, 2024
NEWARK, N.Y. (WROC) — The Newark Police Department now has enough people to return to 24-hour coverage. They've been working on an eight-person team with 20-hour coverage since July of 2023. Now, the chief said there are up to 14 people, including investigators.
Newark Police Department returns to 24-hour coverage
Chief Rich Martin said he's extremely appreciative of New York State Police and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office as they stepped up to help and cover four hours each night for the department in the meantime.
“They were gracious enough to step up while they are also suffering their own staffing shortage and were able to cover for us for those hours, and unfortunately there were a few instances that required some significant work on their part during our off hours. There were a few that's why we’re so appreciative that they were able to help us out.”
The chief explained how he decided which four hours were best to be off, saying that he looked at the call volume and picked the time of evening when it was the slowest. However, he said his team's hard work and overtime did not go unnoticed. At last check, the Chief said it was around 36 hundred hours of overtime spread out amongst eight officers during that time.
Seven officers have completed the police academy, and they accepted a lateral transfer of an experienced officer. Four of the newest officers have just completed their field training and are now part of shift coverage. One more officer has just started his field training.