Hoffman Estates police may see more cuts

Earlier this year, Hoffman Estates laid off four police officers earlier this year due to budget concerns. It appears the economy may force even more reductions.

There's no timetable or even a definite plan to decrease department staffing levels, Hoffman Estates Police Chief Clinton Herdegen said, and the next batch of reductions wouldn't affect the number of patrol officers out on the street.

Village money woes forced Herdegen to present a plan Monday to reduce the number of sworn personnel from 97 to 93. Village officials stressed no one is being fired or laid off - the plan relies on attrition, including retirements, for the reductions.

Salaries and benefits for the four posts - three sergeants and a lieutenant - would save the village more than $400,000 total, Herdegen said after Monday's committee meetings. The board voted unanimously in favor of the plan, with Trustee Cary Collins absent. They'll have to approve the action again next week at the July 6 meeting, which has been moved to Tuesday because of the Independence Day holiday.

Herdegen described the move as a way to give the department flexibility, adding he didn't know of any sergeants or lieutenants planning to retire or leave the department this year. The plan wasn't made in anticipation of anyone leaving the department, Herdegen said.

Herdegen said the department would keep the "same level of service." While the reductions would save the village from paying full-time salaries, during a major incident the department could offer additional shifts to officers who working a previous shift.

The new plan eliminates the three patrol sergeant posts, created five or six years ago. One patrol sergeant works one of the department's three shifts. The reduction would leave the department with 11 sergeants, down from 14.

Sgt. Mike Brady, head of the union that represents the sergeants, attended Monday's meeting but had no comment. Lieutenants are part of the administration but aren't unionized. The number of lieutenants the department is required to have was reduced from six to five in February, and the department continues to staff six positions.

The village's 74 officers are represented by union President Flo Williams, who said before Monday's meeting the reduction wasn't a surprise.

Budget problems hit the department when the village reduced the number of patrol officers by four earlier this year. Labor talks turned contentious as the officers' union and the village attempted to trade police benefits in order to retain the laid-off patrolmen.

The police, fire and public works departments were ordered to trim their budgets by $400,000 each last year. The police department's reductions came from the layoffs instead of forgoing an already-negotiated salary increase.