NEW ROCHELLE, NY — At the recommendation of New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick J. Carroll, the City of New Rochelle is moving forward with plans to reorganize the police department. The most significant change is a proposed reclassification of the position of Police Captain as a civilian position. The department currently has three police captains who will be impacted by the change — Captain Robert Gazzola, Captain Joseph Schaller and Captain Kevin Kealy.
The new job classification of Assistant Police Commissioner was first made public by John Imburgia following the October 17th meeting of the New Rochelle Civil Service. Imburgia, who writes the Civil Service Watch column for Talk of the Sound, attends and video tapes every CSC meeting and collects all available public records. Videos and documents are then published on Talk of the Sound.
Strome says the motivation for the change is driven by staffing considerations and the current financial environment.
“We have been considering this for quite some time but it is very involved,” said Strome. “The duties of the captains have evolved over time. One is now a lawyer and actually handles discipline – saving the city a lot of money by not having to use an outside labor attorney. There are also 207-c Disability cases which can be very complicated.”
New Rochelle Police Detective Captain Joseph Schaller is a licensed attorney in New York State.
Strome added that making the proposed changes requires approval of several state agencies and the local civil service commission and the employees involved.
“In short,” said Strome. “There was a lot to do before moving forward and we felt now was the right time to do so.”
The proposed change has caused some resentment within the police department where police have been working without a contract for several years and promotions have been stalled.
There has been some speculation within the department that changing captain’s positions into a civilian position would effectively increase pension benefits for police captains working under the new job title.
Strome did not deny that pension benefits might increase but noted that it was up to New York State to determine what pension system would apply to the new position of Assistant Police Commissioner. Strome said the City might pay less if a change in pension system is made.
“If they were moved into the civilian pension system,” said Strome. “The City would save money because the City contribution is less for that system than it is for the police system.”
There has been further speculation that the proposed changes were driven by considerations over the retirement age of Schaller and Kealy who are older than Gazzola.
“Mandatory retirement age was never part of the discussion,” said Strome who described the issue as “quite complicated”.
“To my knowledge, there are several different retirement systems,” said Strome. “384-d, the system the captains are currently in, requires retirement at 62 but if you stay longer you automatically moved into 384-j which allows you to stay until you are 65. There is no mandatory retirement age in the Employee Retirement System, the civilian pension system which is where they would move if this were implemented. In short, they can stay until they are 65 as Captains. With the proposed change, the could stay past 65 but I am sure neither would be staying past that age.”
Strome said the job specifications for the new position had to be first reviewed by the local Civil Service Commission before being sent on to the New York Civil Service Commission in Albany.
There was some confusions among members of the Civil Service Commission as to whether the job specifications were finalized or merely proposed and that they might change. At that October CSC meeting, Civil Service Administrator Jeanette Medina told Commissioners that the job specifications were “pending a probable change in the police department”.
Asked by CSC Member Rev. Feston Leek whether the document presented to the commission were “tentative job specifications”, Medina answered without directly addressing Leek’s question.
“Once they are approved they would be in our file as job specs,” said Medina. “It doesn’t necessarily mean we have a new job or a new position it means we have a new job specs”.
The Commission — Domenic Procopio, Margaret Chadwick and Rev. Feston Leek — unanimously approved the Assistant Police Commissioner job specifications after a discussion of just under one minute.
When contacted for this story, there was some confusion among members of City Council as well.
Council Members Jared Rice (District-3), Al Tarantino (District-2), Louis Trangucci (District-1), Shari Rackman (District-6) and Ivar Hyden (District-4)all initially stated that they did not recall a discussion about any proposed reorganization of the police department or the creation of the position of Assistant Police Commissioner.
Reminded by Strome in a recent email of an executive session several months ago where the topic was raised, several Council members said they did vaguely recall some brief discussion.
“I do now remember mention of what at the time seemed like a relatively small matter relating to police restructuring,” said Hyden. “It was to be brought up sometime in the future. It was several months ago and I don’t remember the details.”
City Manager Chuck Strome was not precise on the time frame.
“I can’t remember the exact date,” said Strome. “The memo from the Police Commissioner that was distributed, and collected back, at the meeting is dated August 20 therefore the executive session was either on September 12 or October 11.”
“I am sure this is something that will be brought up soon at a Council Meeting”, said Albert Tarantino.
As to why the matter was discussed in executive session and not publicly, Strome said Corporation Counsel Kathleen Gill advised that the matter was appropriate for executive session because the proposed reorganization would have an impact on individual employees.
Strome pointed out that the formal decision on the new job specifications was made by the Civil Service Commission in a public meeting.
During the executive session, Strome says he explained to Council Members that as police captain duties are clearly management/confidential responsibilities it made sense to remove them from the Superior Officers bargaining unit. Police captains, he says, are often involved in disciplinary actions against members of the union to which they belong.
John Imburgia contributed to this article.
New Rochelle Civil Service Job Spec – ASSISTANT POLICE COMMISSIONER
Reorganization is also
Reorganization is also important in every department or office so that proper duty will be imposed. Affected people of the reorganization should not look on why were they demoted from their position instead to look for the brighter side that this happens because another thing or position might be given to you in the future.
police test
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Reorganization of the police dept
This plan will accomplish 2 things, padding the pensions of the present Captains and allowing Commissioner Carroll to circumvent NYS civil service law.
Chief Carroll’s attempt to circumvent Civil Service Standards!
Does anyone in the Police Association have answers to yesterday’s questions?
Mr. Strome: you have mentioned that the captains are often involved in disciplinary actions against members of the union to which they belong!
Question: Who told you that lie? I have asked a number of officers if there have been any discipline actions of note against Sergeants, Lieutenants or other Captains. As you know, the latter officers are members of the Superior Officers bargaining unit. My contacts all tell me it’s part of the “bigger lie” put forth by the Chief in an attempt to justify the elimination of civil service rank of captain. Then I asked: “Why would the Chief “risk” bringing shame upon himself when the truth is eventually exposed?” The answer seems to be the “reward” of more control of the selection process (he doesn’t want to follow established civil service rules.)
Mr. Strome: If the above is not correct please respond with specifics!
Mr. Strome’s Reply
We understand you are being put in an uncomfortable position by the Commissioner who believes he shouldn’t have to deal with established civil service rules and Deputy Murphy asking that the Captains get the inflated pension by becoming Civilians within the police department.
Mr. Strome: You do have a higher responsibility to the citizens of New Rochelle in that you are responsible for good and honest management of the various operations within the City!
Your statement that the Captains often deal with disciplinary situations against members of the union to which they belong is simply Not True! What is apparent, is the effort to provide for an increased pension for the civil service tested Captains while providing the Commissioner an opportunity to select future administrators not based on civil service testing but rather cronyism.
We ask that you examine the situation more objectively and inform the Commissioners that it isn’t the right thing to do! We think you’ll sleep better!
Strome No Cojones
Plain and Simple he has not acted as a City Manager for the Citizens and Tax payers since almost the beginning. Why would he start now. Although he does make decisions as what he can do in the Rest Room at City Hall unless Noam yells over the Stall.
We are getting screwed in New Rochelle like no place on EARTH.
Pat Carroll’s devilish work
This is another one of Commissioner Pat Carroll’s scams to do two things.
1. He wants desperately to increase the pension of his cronies.
2. Being that two (2) captains are nearing forced retirement, he wants them to be able to stay forever.
The lying dog, Strome gives this laughable remark that he doubts that they will want to stay past 65 is so full of hot air, it’s deplorable.
Wake up City Council!!!!!! Get rid of this bum who has done nothing but destroy this city.
The New Rochelle Police Department is at the lowest morale in more than 50 years. This morale for citizens is probably the same.
One (1) word: Sickening
Police Department Changes
A few questions:
Does the Chief have the authority to make the Captains leave their association?
If the Captains can’t be legally forced to leave their association, why would they agree to the change? Are the real reasons related to Pension Padding and No age requirement to retire?
Does their association have to agree with their removal?
Are there any association by-laws violations?
Proposed Police Reorganization
Citizens of Nu Ro: take a minute and look at the video of the local civil service meeting re: new job specs for the police. Can anyone other than the conspirators understand what took place? If yes, apply for next opening!
Does Mr. Procopio even understand the proposal other than it is what his lunch-buddy, Mr. Carroll, put him up to? How sad of you, Mr. Carroll, to take advantage of others!
City Council members: please stop the madness!