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Extra duty has police struggling

A confluence of month-end events stretches the ranks.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published March 12, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - For civic boosters, the last weekend of March seemed stuffed with fun. The city was hosting the Honda Grand Prix, the Festival of States parade and the last day of Devil Rays spring training.

But for a Police Department that struggles to recruit and retain officers, having three big events on the same weekend added up to a staffing nightmare.

To make sure it had enough manpower, the department had to cancel all days off for the last weekend of March for every officer. One squad of 19 officers even faced 15 consecutive days of 10-hour shifts.

In effect, the department was stretched to the breaking point by the need to provide security for car races and a parade.

By mid February, so many concerns and complaints arose that the group that organizes the Festival of States Parade, a city tradition for more than eight decades, canceled the parade that would have been the centerpiece of this year's celebration. Other activities, including a nighttime parade, will go on.

"At the very first meeting, a representative of the police said: 'This is going to be a real challenge,'" said Wayne "Skipp" Fraser, the president of the Suncoasters, which puts on the Festival of States parade with other groups. "By canceling, I like to think we've done our part to relieve a little bit of the stress on the Police Department."

For union officials, the strains placed on the department by its scramble to find enough officers to handle crowds for a car racing event and a parade are emblematic of bigger staffing and morale issues. They say that even though the city has grown over the past decade, drawing events like the Grand Prix, the Police Department has not.

"As an agency, we haven't grown," said Sgt. Phil Quandt, a Fraternal Order of Police representative. "We ought to be able to staff these things. ... You should at least be able to do it so you don't have to cancel everybody's days off."

The Festival of States calls itself the largest civic celebration in the South, and was named for the 48 tourist societies organized after the home states of seasonal residents. This year's parade would have taken place on March 31.

The Honda Grand Prix, a three-day event, drew tens of thousands of spectators to the city last year. This year, it will run from March 30 through April 1.

Department administrators say they've canceled days off for officers before for major celebrations like the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and the St. Anthony's Triathlon.

"Usually, those events don't coincide," said Luke Williams, the assistant chief of police who oversees uniform services. "We have enough officers to address the issues. Canceling days off is not new."

But Mark Deasaro, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of Pinellas County, said those other events lasted for just a day, not an entire weekend.

"The facade that we have enough individuals is totally untruthful," he said.

Officers required to work major events don't have a lot of down time. They have to direct traffic and control crowds for hours. They get brief breaks to eat lunch and go to the restroom.

By March, the department had 502 officers, but is authorized to field 540. Sgt. Charlie Burnette, who oversees special events planning, said it took 110 officers to handle the Grand Prix and related events last year. He said it would have taken an additional 42 officers to staff the Festival of States parade. That doesn't include officers who patrol streets and respond to emergency calls.

City Council member Bill Foster said he would like to see the department reach its authorized strength of 540 officers before expanding its ranks.

"It's a mark that we haven't had since I've been on the council," said Foster.

He was first appointed to the council in 1998.

Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8472.

[Last modified March 12, 2007, 00:13:59]