By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Cicero Town Councilor Jon Karp tangled with Supervisor Bill Meyer over the Cicero Police Department budget at the Oct. 7 meeting of the Cicero Town Board. Meyer took issue with Karp’s proposal to purchase body-worn cameras for the police department.
“I think we can all agree that body-worn cameras are a net positive for everybody,” Karp said.
Karp said the body cameras would protect the town from liability, provide evidence for criminal investigations, protect officers from potentially career-ending false accusations, and protect citizens in their interactions with police.
“I would say almost 99.9% of the police officers are asking for body-worn cameras to protect themselves and also the police department of the town of Cicero,” Rotunno said.
Karp is a member of the negotiating team for the contract between the town and the Cicero Police Benevolent Association. The negotiating team also includes Police Chief Steve Rotunno and Town Attorney Robert Germain. In January, the town board voted 3-2 to designate the team, with Meyer and Councilor Nancy White voting against the measure.
According to Karp, the negotiating team and the PBA agreed during contract negotiations that the issue of body cameras should be worked out separately.
Meyer asked Rotunno what measures he has taken to cut costs in the police budget, which he said has risen 50% since 2016.
“I don’t know too many residents in the town of Cicero that are getting 10% [more] year after year in their pay,” Meyer said, adding that every town department needs to control costs.
Rotunno said the police department is understaffed and he would not ask the board to hire two additional officers in 2021 if they were not necessary. He said the national average is one police officer per 1,000 residents. Cicero has just under 31,000 residents and 16 police officers.
“We’re struggling to meet state mandates for discovery and bail reform,” Rotunno said.
If the town hires two more officers, with salaries and benefits totaling about $150,000, the entire police department budget’s impact would be $209.36 on a $150,000 home — about a $10 increase over what a homeowner is currently paying, Rotunno said.
Karp said he would not support creating new positions within the police department at this time, but he said he does support filling retirements and current vacancies.
“There’s no question that our officers do more with less,” Karp said.
Councilor Mike Becallo suggested the town move money from the PD’s line item for legal services to training.
As for the body cameras, Karp said Chief Rotunno had found a quote from a vendor and the annual cost of outfitting Cicero’s police officers with body cameras would be $1,850.
Meyer said it was improper for Karp as a town councilor to propose the resolution. Karp asked if Meyer’s objection was related to the supervisor’s opposition to the negotiating team the town board voted to appoint in January.
“I do not recognize that you as a town councilor have the authority to negotiate,” Meyer said.
Since Town Attorney Robert Germain was absent from the Oct. 7 meeting, Becallo suggested the board wait until the Oct. 14 meeting to act on the body-cam issue. Councilor Nancy White agreed.
“I have no objection to waiting a week other than the fact that this is one more week that our police officers will not have this very important item for frankly what is a nonsense procedural objection, because the town attorney told us that the town board has the authority to designate a negotiating team,” Karp said. “It’s unfortunate that this will be another week that the town is not protected from liability, nor are our officers.”
