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01/07/2014 11:00 PMThe town has already received more than three dozen applications for people looking to become civilian police dispatchers in the first few weeks of advertising for applicants.
Frank Gentilesco, the town's assistant director of administration and management, said the interest in the positions has been heavy.
The town has been advertising for the position at an hourly pay rate of more than $23 per hour. The town plans to take applications through Friday, Jan. 10.
Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., announced his desire to hire civilian dispatchers following stories outlining the department's rising overtime costs.
From August to October, patrolmen worked nearly 800 overtime shifts.
The town's decision to hire civilian dispatchers has angered East Haven's police union, which has stated that any change in the dispatcher positions, currently held by police officers, should have been part of a negotiation between the town and the cop union.
The decision to advertise the jobs was made at the Dec. 9 meeting of the Civil Service Commission. Commission members voted unanimously "to begin the testing process for the position of public safety dispatcher."
Maturo has stated it is his hope that the union would "become part of the solution" by waiving a clause in the union contract that required 180-day notice of changes in assignments.
"It is the town's intention to proceed as quickly as possible to obtain qualified civilians, which will enable us to return the police dispatchers back to the streets for our citizens," Maturo stated.
Police Union President Robert Nappe could not be reached for comment by press time.