New Britain Lifts Police Hiring Freeze

It will take four to six months to complete the testing and background checks, then New Britain can hire.

 A hiring freeze that kept New Britain from replacing police officers since 2009 is being lifted, but the department is a long way from reaching full strength.

New Britain's police force is 22 officers short, but the police chief believes 200 people who passed the city's most recent written test last year are still interested in becoming cops.

"Cities are stuck with a challenge," Chief William Gagliardi said. "Train them, then lose them. We're playing rotating chairs."

Gagliardi said the city's new mayor is committed to hiring new officers.

"How many, I don't know," he said.

It will take four to six months to complete the testing and background checks, then New Britain can hire.

But training takes 10 months. In that time, other towns can lure new cops away with lateral transfers.

To cope with understaffing, the police union has agreed to cost-saving measures, Gagliardi said.

"The patrol is the life blood of any community," he said, so he's removed personnel from the narcotics squad, the traffic division and investigations to maintain patrols.

Federal money would pay for seven new officers but only if the city fills the 22 vacancies with its own money first, Gagliardi said.

He acknowledged there'll be more cops retiring before rookies join New Britain, though he is hoping to lure certified cops away from other departments.

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