Online Poll Conducted.....Should Westfield Police Chief Parizeau Resign?

Some off-duty Westfield police officers are avoiding answering the telephone. Why, because when it rings, and police headquarters' telephone number shows up on the caller ID, it means only one thing to them.......overtime.   You would think that a person would jump at the chance to earn $$ at time and a half pay.  Not so for some.  What has been described as "low morale", as a result of leadership miscues, some officers are concerned that any shift worked beyond their regular scheduled shift exposes them to a myriad of negative issues. The climate within the department has taken a turn.  Morale is at an alltime low.  Some believe it is the result of mismanagement and the disparity in treatment of some officers.  (Read the following: for more details  http://07090.blogspot.com/2010/12/westfield-police-chief-john-m-parizeau.html .)  Manpower is being spread thin due to the reduction in the size of the patrol division through attrition and by the reassignment of patrol officers to "civilian" or other duties.  The need to fill open shifts due to absenteeism is being hampered.  Overtime, once seen as a lucrative addition to an officer's base salary, appears to be no longer appealing for various reasons.  Go to the opinion poll on the right hand side of this blog to cast your vote.