Overtime, illness and injuries have been plaguing the Bradford
City Police and Fire departments this year.

At Tuesday evening’s budget hearings before Bradford City
Council, Fire Chief Bill McCormack and acting police chief Lt. Carl
Milks both said 2006 has been a difficult year for the
departments.

“This was the worst OT I’ve had since I’ve been chief,”
McCormack said. “I guess it came at a bad time.”

He said so far this year, he’s had 105 weeks where people have
been off work.

“What happened this year, one gentleman had a bad back and was
off three weeks,” McCormack said. One man had neck problems and
ended up on disability, while another was off 12 weeks before
doctors determined he needed surgery, and will be off probably
another nine weeks, the chief said.

“They pick up sick people,” he said. “When people are sick, my
people get sick. What happened this year is it caught up with too
many guys at the same time.”

He explained one man was off for 31 weeks because of a back
operation and another was off work because of a broken thumb.

According to the September budget report for the city, the
regular overtime expended for the city year-to-date is $81,441.58;
the budgeted amount for the entire year had been $45,000.

If the trend continues the same way in the last quarter of the
year, the fire department’s overtime budget for the year may top
out at more than $108,000, according to calculations performed by
The Era.

McCormack told council one way he has been addressing the
overtime is by making use of the summer help after the summer
season has passed. He explained he went to the firefighters’ union,
explained the overtime budget was “out of sight,” and asked to keep
on a worker at minimum wage.

The union did not object.

The police department has also seen its share of illness and
injuries in 2006. While Milks did not discuss any specific problems
the department has had, he did say it has been “an extraordinary
year.”

According to Era records, two long-time police officers died in
2006, Sgt. Tim Davis in January and Sgt. Dan Close in May. Also,
Detective Cliff Jarrabet was off work for an extended period
because of his health, and Patrolman Jim Erwin is currently on
medical leave.

Chief Roger Sager is apparently on medical leave now.

Two officers – patrolmen Hiel Bartlett and Mike Ward – were
injured and were on medical leave because of an attack by a
suspect. And several times this year, suspects have attacked
officers during arrest attempts.

“No one could have anticipated what happened to us this year,”
Milks told council.

Sager and Mayor Michele Corignani have secured collapsible
batons for use by the police to help them remain safe in the line
of duty, and Milks said the batons were used “unfortunately, the
very first day.”

The September budget report for the city states that the
year-to-date regular overtime expended by the police department is
$40,457.64; the budget for the entire year was $22,000.

If the trend continues the same way in the last quarter, the
police department’s overtime budget could top out at more than
$53,900 for the year, according to calculations performed by The
Era.