December 12, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Waldwick Waldwick Police dispatchers will follow the lead of their police officer colleagues and begin working 12-hour shifts in January. The move, Borough Administrator Gary Kratz said, is projected to save $75,000 in overtime in 2013. “We’ll be saving money. We’ll be putting out manpower when it’s most needed. The police department loves it. It’s a win, win, win for everyone,” Kratz told the mayor and council last week. The dispatchers had requested the new shift structure last January, but the borough was reluctant to make the change until seeing if it would be successful. “Based on the police department concept, it should work Police dispatchers to go to 12-hour shifts in January here too. We did the analysis, and it does work,” Kratz added. He said a 20 percent decrease in overtime will be the expected performance standard. Mayor Thomas Giordano said that having dispatchers work 12-hour shifts will allow for a return to the squad concept between the dispatchers and the police officers on patrol. Kratz said it’s more difficult to maintain continuity if the dispatcher has a different boss for each shift. “Depending on the officer in charge, there are different expectations as to how to respond to calls, for instance,” Kratz explained. He said beyond answering calls, dispatchers determine the initial response, type in backup informa- tion, log reports into computers, and even handle calls that do not require an officer to respond. The pilot program for the five full-time communications officers on the force will be in place for one year, Kratz said, but will be measured after six months, with increased productivity as important a component as dollar savings. “Our hope is to create an environment where efficiency and effectiveness are improved on the job, while at the same time provide a more positive work/life balance for the employee,” said Lt. Edward Weber, who developed the innovative 12-hour custom schedule for the department. (continued on page 23)