An audit of Nassau County's 8th Police Precinct by Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman has found that, even after previous audits highlighted the problem, too many police officers are still assigned to clerical positions rather than patrol duties. The report also found high levels of overtime, extensive use of obsolete technology and the underutilization of 68 crossing guards.

The report says that 2004 overtime costs in the 8th Precinct and department-wide, more than doubled from levels only two years earlier, despite new contracts with the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association that allowed a reduction in the number of patrols and required officers to work an additional 48 hours per year. The upward trend continued in 2005, during which overtime department-wide totaled nearly $53 million, up from $46.6 million in 2004. Despite the increase in overtime pay and the addition of nearly 300 new personnel since 2002, Comptroller Weitzman noted that total police payroll costs have increased only modestly to a projected $380 million in 2005, an average increase of about 2 percent per year since 2002.

The audit also found underutilization of 68 crossing guards and extensive use of obsolete technology, slowing administrative functions and resulting in duplication of effort.

"Nassau has one of the finest police departments in the country," Weitzman said. "It's no coincidence that it also has the lowest crime rate of any municipality of its size in the nation. But that doesn't mean we can afford to operate inefficiently or waste money paying highly-trained police officers to do the work of clerks or junior accountants."

The report identifies five clerical/administrative positions currently filled by sworn police officers in the precinct that could be filled by civilians. If more clerical tasks were performed by civilians, the 8th Precinct could potentially save as much as $325,000 per year, the audit found.

Although the audit focused on a single precinct, the report found that other precincts maintain similar numbers of clerical positions filled by police officers. If such positions were civilianized throughout the department, the audit concludes, potential savings could approximate $3.45 million.

Auditors found "no substantive difference in duties performed by administrative police officers and work normally performed by civilian clerical personnel. The duties carried out by these officers involve clerical duties that do not require the specialized skills of a police officer," according to the report.

"In our previous audits of the police department in October 2002 and January 2004, we found that highly-trained county police officers held positions in the Police Communications bureau and three police administrative commands that could be easily filled by civilians at considerably lower salaries," Comptroller Weitzman said. "Given the magnitude of dollars involved, the department needs to move faster to place civilians in these spots and redeploy police officers to perform actual police functions."

Nevertheless, the comptroller noted that, following the current audit, the police department did succeed in civilianizing a number of clerical functions formerly performed by police officers in each of the department's precincts and various other commands. "I commend the administration for negotiating these changes with the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, as they will result in substantial cost savings. I urge the administration to pursue additional civilianization of clerical functions, as outlined in the audit."

Under the terms of a 2003 arbitration agreement, the department was to civilianize 50 police positions in 2004, with 50 more scheduled for 2005. The police department has not yet been able to document fully the number of officers redeployed from clerical tasks.

The increase in overtime in the 8th Police Precinct mirrors that of the department as a whole, in which overtime costs more than doubled between 2002 and 2004. Despite concessions on 'minimum manning' by the PBA, police overtime is still trending higher, the comptroller noted. The audit reported that the 8th Precinct spent approximately $2.5 million on overtime in 2004; the total cost of overtime for all precincts that year was nearly $24 million.

Total departmental overtime costs (including figures from headquarters and all police districts) grew from $46.6 million in 2004 to $52.9 million in 2005. Comptroller Weitzman noted, however, that the administration's ability to maintain relatively stable total payroll costs in the department over the past four years, despite adding 300 new personnel, was a "significant achievement."

"Two major factors contribute to the current high level of police overtime," Comptroller Weitzman said: "staffing levels and the use of overtime as an alternative to hiring new officers.

"Ever since Nassau's fiscal crisis, there has been a debate about appropriate levels of police staffing. The current police contract dictates the number of officers to be deployed on patrols. The administration has reduced the number of required patrols - but so far not enough to offset the overtime resulting from the decreasing numbers of staff due to attrition. I urge the administration to continue working to negotiate changes in minimum staffing requirements with the PBA, which would give precinct commanders greater flexibility in assigning officers, and allow them, in some cases at least, to avoid unnecessary overtime.

"The administration has stated a preference for overtime over new hiring," he continued. "Certainly they are justified in their concerns about the county's growing liability for health care benefits - which constitutes one of the biggest clouds on the county's financial horizon. But the debate about overtime vs. hiring cannot be properly resolved until we have the results of the consultant study on Nassau's police staffing needs, which will be conducted this year. That study must include a cost/benefit analysis of overtime vs. hiring, so that the county can move forward on this issue. Ultimately, I hope that this study will allow us to end the debate on the proper level of staffing for the Nassau County Police Department."

In addition to the findings on overtime and civilianization, auditors found numerous instances of obsolete technology creating administrative bottlenecks and duplication of effort, and underutilization and poor time controls over 68 part-time school crossing guards who report to the precinct.

Technology deficiencies: A review of technology used by the precinct - and typical of the department as a whole - found continued reliance on obsolete systems and frequent duplication of effort. For example, data such as traffic summonses are entered both manually and by computer. Other technology problems abounded:

The precinct still does not have "caller ID" on its phones, a feature readily available to the general public. The 911 Center at the Police Communications Bureau, by contrast, employs both automatic number and location indicator technology.

The department still cannot track the location of police cars with Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) technology, a deficiency noted in the comptroller's January 2004 audit of the Police Communications Bureau.

The department continues to rely on manual methods of compiling crime data for input into the Nass-Stat system, which provides analysis of crime statistics and trends. The information required is contained in the department's data collection system, known as Swift Justice. It is not currently possible to download the information in the Swift Justice system, however, for use in the Nass-Stat system. A replacement system is currently under consideration.

"We note that the department has several major initiatives under way to address these technological deficiencies, and we endorse their efforts," Weitzman said. The new programs include a new computer-aided dispatch system, which will include Automatic Vehicle Location (expected in 2007); a new records management system (expected in 2007); and installation of laptop computers in patrol vehicles (expected to be in all vehicles in 2008).

Guards: The audit found underutilization of crossing guards and an absence of controls over their attendance. During the audited period (January 2001 through December 2004), the precinct employed 68 crossing guards, most of whom work 20 hours per week, at an annual cost of $1.4 million. (Overall, the department currently employs 454 crossing guards.)

During school vacations - approximately 13-14 weeks per year - crossing guards (except for those on "summer school" duty) report to the police precinct, but are given little or nothing to do. Those reporting to work remain without any assignments for four hours, then leave.

"Crossing guards perform a very important service and are valued by their communities," Weitzman said. "They are generally dedicated, reporting to work under all weather conditions, and do an outstanding job of keeping our children safe. But, as our audit shows, the police department needs to do a better job in utilizing the crossing guards when schools are closed."

A review of time records for a sample day in February 2004, during the winter school recess, found that many of the crossing guards were underutilized, he said. "In fact, on that sample day, there were no records of the whereabouts of 26 of them. In other words, the employees were being paid with no proof that they had reported to work. Those who were present on that day were observed to have no assignments.

"If there is no real work for them at those times," he added, "we recommend that they be placed on standby status, and paid for two hours a day, as provided for in the CSEA contract." Such a policy could save approximately $14,000 in salary expenses per week, the audit says.

When contacted for a response regarding the audit, the Nassau County Police Department said that they had no comment.

The 8th Precinct is headquartered in Bethpage and serves an area in the southeastern part of the county. The complete audit report can be read on-line or downloaded at the Comptroller's Web site, www.nassaucountyny.gov/comptroller.