Thrusday, January 14, 1999
Mason will add officers to reflect growth
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — Continued growth in Warren County's largest city has created a need for more police.
By fall, three more officers are expected to be patrolling city streets, City Manager Scot Lahrmer said.
The new officers will increase the department's com plement from 25 full-time officers to 28. Once hired and trained, the officers will be assigned to patrol functions, Police Chief Ron Ferrell said.
“I expect these officers to have an immediate impact for us, but we won't be able to count on them being fully active until around September,” he said.
Chief Ferrell said that, depending on their level of experience, the three hires might have to go through a 14-week course at the state police academy in Columbus followed by 10 weeks of riding with current officers.
Two of the three new positions will be paid for by the federal COPS grant program for three years — $25,000 each. The officers will be paid $30,722 annually.
Mr. Lahrmer said the creation of three new positions is a direct response to Mason's 32 percent population growth in the last eight years. Since 1990, the Mason Police Department has added 12 officers to its staff, including six in the past two years.
“Police services are stretched to the point where service cannot be delivered to the extent, or with the quality, residents expect and want without an increase in line staff,” Mr. Lahrmer said. “Police service demands continue to increase as the city grows both geographically and in population.”
Mason officers average 762 calls for service per officer per year — an average of nearly three calls for service per work hour. Mr. Lahrmer said it typically takes about 20 minutes to complete a report on a routine call, while more serious calls take substantially longer.
“The resulting workload means that the vast majority of officers' time is spent reacting to calls with little, if any, time remaining for proactive measures, preventive patrols or directed traffic enforcement,” he said.
Staff shortages also have contributed to a 37 percent increase in overtime at the department from 1997 to 1998, while court hours increased 11 percent.
“I wouldn't say the shortages have put a strain on the department, but it is certainly a challenge for us to stay current with the needs of the community,” Chief Ferrell said.
The department is recruiting candidates to fill a position vacated by Officer Jason Williams, who resigned late last year. Chief Ferrell said more than 130 applicants were tested last week for the position.
He hopes to have a candidate selected by March 1. Mr. Lahrmer said the city may use the same list of candidates to fill the three new positions.
“Mason is a nice, safe, quiet community,” Chief Ferrell said. “And we are going to continue to fight tooth and nail to provide adequate police services, so that it can stay that way.”
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