Village board agrees to NHPD cuts

• NHPD Chief Mark Richert

North Hudson Police Chief Mark Richert

Talk about it

The daily minimum number of hours the Village of North Hudson will have protection by its own police department has dropped from the current 12 hours to 8.5 hours following a vote by the board of trustees last week. The move is a cost saving measure that could result in a savings of around $5,400 annually.

The personnel and finance committee of the Village Board had requested that the police department look at lowering their 2012 budget through reducing overtime costs and the minimum daily staffing level.

Any hours not covered by North Hudson police officers will continue to be covered by the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff’s deputies do not regularly patrol the village during those hours but do respond to calls for service. Cases they respond to are referred to the NHPD for any necessary follow-up.

Richert said he and his officers could be called in if a major crime or incident occurs.

The North Hudson Police Department has not had the manpower to police the village 24 hours a day since October 2005. Prior to that time, the department had six patrol officers along with the chief of police. When Chief Mark Richert was promoted, his position on the staff was not filled.

The department currently has four officers who patrol the village including Sgt. Mark Volz.

Richert said NHPD officers are on a nine-day rotation — six days on with three off. Occasionally due to vacations, days off or leave, there are no officers to fulfill the 12-hour minimum coverage without incurring some overtime. The new minimum staffing of 8.5 hours will reduce that overtime.

Richert estimated savings is based on the lowest overtime rate paid by the department of around $37 per hour.

For more information about daily police coverage in North Hudson contact the NHPD at (715) 386-8433.

Tags: north hudson, news, government