Cop layoffs loom in Orland Hills
BY MIKE NOLAN mnolan@southtownstar.com May 1, 2012 6:36PM
Updated: June 3, 2012 8:04AM
Declining revenues and “budgetary constraints” will mean the layoffs of three full-time police officers in Orland Hills, leaving the village with five full-time officers, village administrator John Daly said Tuesday.
The layoffs, effective May 11, also will include 20 part-time personnel in the department, Daly said.
The layoffs were approved by the village board April 25, he said. Village officials were unable to reach an agreement with the union now representing Orland Hills police officers, the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, that would have prevented the layoffs, Daly said.
But Ray Violetto, MAP’s representative for the Orland Hills officers, said the union wasn’t convinced the village’s fiscal issues were dire enough to warrant the job cuts, and said the layoffs will result in a “dangerous situation” for residents.
The village has two officers on the day shift, three on the afternoon shift and two on the overnight shift, Violetto said. To maintain staffing, officers will be required to work overtime, and Violetto said the union is concerned that the extended hours will take their toll on officers.
Daly said that once two officers return from medical leave, the department will have seven full-time officers available for patrol. In the meantime, Chief Tom Scully and Deputy Chief Mike Blaha will augment the slimmed-down force, with Blaha working patrol during the day shift and Scully the afternoon shift, Daly said.
“The chief has assured us (the village board) there will be no problems” as far as maintaining patrols, Daly said.
The village and MAP have been negotiating toward a new contract for officers for more than a year. Police had dropped the Teamsters as their union, voting to join MAP. MAP’s bargaining unit in Orland Hills was certified in April 2010.
