Consultants: Number of Sick Days at Orangetown Police Department an Issue

A recent study of the —carried out by McShane and Andrews, an independent consulting firm—spotlighted the number of sick days officers took in 2009.

The study, using the Yonkers Police Department as a benchmark, found Orangetown officers took far more sick days by comparison. Orangetown officers took an average of 11.3 sick days; Yonkers officers took an average of 3.3.

When an officer calls in sick, another one must cover, and is generally paid overtime. (Which comes in at time-and-a-half.) Overtime expenditures have made up over 7.7 percent of the department's expenditures in years past—in the first three quarters of 2010, the department paid out over $130,000 in overtime to cover sick officers, an expense that falls to taxpayers.

"For future savings, the town [should] look to... better management of sick leave," the study reported.

Although the Yonkers Police Department is over six-times as large as Orangetown's (636 officers versus 85 officers), Orangetown officers took half as many sick days as Yonkers officers in 2009. Additionally, 99 percent of Orangetown officers reported sick, whereas 48 percent of Yonkers officers reported sick. One factor may be family sick—a stipulation that allows officers to take off when a relative is sick—a stipulation Yonkers does not allow. Additionally, the statistics do not include officers who were injured in the line of duty.

Below is a chart from the study:

Orangetown Police officials referred Patch to the town board for comment.

"The town board is still reviewing the study, and there are a lot of things for board to consider," said Orangetown councilman Michael Maturo on the subject. He added that the board will release a more comprehensive statement in the near future.

The study offered a solution of its own, suggesting the implementation of a Chronic Absence Control Policy. The policy would flag officers who take several sick days, mandate they report a public safety surgeon and preclude them from overtime work and special assignments.

"We urge the town board to pass this policy expeditiously once a practical set of standards and caps has been established," the study added.