Gillett City Council members are working to resolve a scheduling and overtime problem in their Police Department.
In June, Alderperson Deb Erickson inquired into the number of 12-hour shifts a police officer could work in a row. While investigating the answer, city clerk Beth Rank discovered a state statute that defines the number of hours an officer can work in a 24-hour period in a city the size of Gillett.
The statute states that unless municipalities have a labor agreement in place, municipal councils of “every 2nd, 3rd or 4th class city shall provide for a working day of not more than 8 hours in each 24 except in cases of positive necessity by some sudden and serious emergency …”
“We are actively working to resolve this issue,” said Marie Blaser, chairwoman of the city’s Health, Protection and License Committee.
Mayor Irene Drake said the 12-hour workday has been in place since before Jess Keplinger was hired as police chief in April 2013.
“Jess followed the work schedule set in place before he came here,” Drake said.
City Attorney Tim Schmid has advised the city to comply with the statute and reduce the number of hours from 12 to eight. In the minutes of a teleconference held July 8 involving Drake, Blaser, Erickson, Aldermen Terry Nelson and William Pecha, Keplinger and Rank, Schmid explained that while penalties are not listed in the statute, the city could face a noncompliance charge from the state.
The issue could also be resolved if the department opted to unionize, which would allow for a collective bargaining agreement to be struck between the department and city government that would allow for 12-hour shifts.
There are three full-time officers employed by the city, including Keplinger.
Pecha, a former police chief in the city, has pushed the council to comply with the statute quickly, citing concerns regarding the possibility of the city having to face liability for past overtime pay, “which could be in excess of $10,000.”
Drake said contacting appropriate state officials has been difficult because they have been out of the office on vacations. In addition, Keplinger was out on medical leave, adding to the difficulty of discussing options to resolve the situation.
“We are diligently working on a solution to maintain the maximum amounts of police coverage while working within our budget,” Drake said. “We hope to reach a solution and make any adjustments in the next few weeks.”
Part of what the city is looking at is how to provide full-time police coverage if full-time officers are only able to work eight-hour shifts.
“We’ll have to depend on the county to answer some of the calls,” Drake added. “The city of Gillett is dedicated to maintaining our current high level of public safety.”
The council plans to meet in closed session on Sept. 17 to work on resolving the issue.
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