Short-staffed Butler police stretched thin by weekend event coverage
During the event-filled weekend of June 21, Butler police responded to 147 calls — about 10% to 15% more than the average weekend — with a department down three officers.
Police chief Robert O’Neill said although none of the six arrests the department made were related to Foodie Friday, the Butler Road Race or Cruise-A-Palooza, the bureau had to stretch its staff to adequately cover the influx of people to the city. Normally, three to five officers staff the department on Saturdays and Sundays, but 12 to 15 officers worked each day this weekend.
“We have everybody who works here working this weekend because of the race and the car cruise, with eight or nine additional officers each,” O’Neill said Monday, June 24. “We're just running very close because we're down some officers, trying to hire to replace some.”
Butler hosted Foodie Friday on June 21; the YMCA Butler Road Race on Saturday, June 22; and the Cruise-A-Palooza on Sunday, June 23. More than 170 people participated in the Butler Road Race, and Dan Cunningham, an organizer of the Cruise-A-Palooza, estimated the event boasted more than 1,200 cars and thousands of attendees.
O’Neill said the events were well organized and didn’t require additional police intervention. Of the six arrests police made over the weekend, one was a violation of a Protection from Abuse order, two were warrant arrests, two were summary public drunkenness and one was for harassment. Police also responded to one motor vehicle crash.
According to O’Neill, the department has to be staffed to cover the needs of the city on any given day, so officers’ schedules may be adjusted to cover events.
On Thursday, Butler City Council voted to allow O’Neill to explore options for hiring new officers via a memorandum of understanding. Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy said the motion lets the chief look for ways to pursue candidates for the jobs under particular terms. Council would then vote on the prospective hires and the terms of their hiring once the chief finds the desirable employees.
O’Neill said the number of calls city police responded to over the weekend demonstrates the need for the department to get fully staffed; an issue he said is being faced by police departments nationwide.
“It was definitely more than we usually have,” O’Neill said of the weekend dispatches. “It’s not just us, everyone is having trouble hiring right now.”
The next full weekend of Main Street activities will be at the end of August, when the Butler Italian Festival takes over the city on Aug. 23, O’Neil said.
