STATE REPORT: Rye Police Staffing Shortages Fuel Overtime Surge, Strain Department

A new state-commissioned administrative study obtained by MyRye.com has revealed that the City of Rye Police Department is struggling with chronic staffing shortages, soaring overtime costs, and an overburdened investigative division — challenges that officials warn could jeopardize public safety and officer well-being if not addressed.

The report, originally requested by Public Safety Commissioner Mike Kopy, was delivered to City officials in the last few weeks. It was completed by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and paints a stark picture. In 2023 alone, Rye police officers logged over 17,000 hours of overtime, costing taxpayers more than $1.2 million — about 15% of the department’s personnel budget. On average, each officer worked an additional 62 eight-hour shifts last year just to maintain basic staffing levels.

“Overtime should not be a tool to sustain day-to-day operations,” the report cautions, warning that the current practice risks fatigue, burnout, and compromised officer safety.

“Staffing at Rye PD has been contemplated for some time,” said Interim City Manager Brian Shea, who was just elevated to the post in the wake of Greg Usry’s retirement. “I will be seeking a peer review of the report and I expect to provide the Council my recommendations in the coming weeks.”   

“Public safety is at the heart of our public trust,” said Rye Mayor Josh Cohn. “Over recent years, we have seen fluctuations in Police Department staffing at the same time as we have seen differences in the perspectives and recommendations of our various city managers and commissioners. A common thread has been the tension between staff levels and budgetary constraints, with public safety as the overriding concern. I welcome the external view provided by the DCJS report. I urge my Council colleagues to consider very seriously the near-term hiring of a couple of additional police officers and the possible hiring of non-peace officer assistance, at the same time as we pursue the peer review of the DCJS report suggested by Interim Manager Shea.”

Commissioner Kopy oversees both police and fire in his public safety role. He joined the City in 2021 after a long career with the New York State Police.

In recent years, the Rye Fire Department received support from Mayor Josh Cohn and City leadership to transition to a complete career staff and away from a volunteer one. The career staff now includes a Captain and four Lieutenants. In 2024, the city and the firefighters’ union, Local 2029, finalized a five-year labor agreement.  

“We have a new tradition in Rye of having career firefighter leadership,” said Rye Mayor Josh Cohn on May 3, 2024 during the elevation and swearing in of now Captain Clyde Pitts and Lieutenant Ryan Prata. 

When I became mayor nearly seven years ago, we had a bitterly divided Fire Department. We had a volunteer corps on which the city had depended for so many years, still struggling against demographics, against the burden of increased training, to maintain leadership and maintain a consistency of operation. And we had a career core that was constrained in its opportunity and felt constrained in its ability to demonstrate the success that it could bring to fire prevention and firefighting in the City.”

A Police Department Stretched Thin

Despite an increase in Rye’s population over the last two decades, police staffing levels have declined. In 1999, the department had 41 sworn officers serving fewer than 15,000 residents. As of 2023, it had 38 authorized positions — two of them vacant — serving more than 16,500 people.

“It was well overdue to prove the point that we’ve been saying for all these years in terms of our staffing,” said Rye PBA President and Rye PD Detective Gabe Caputo. “Bottom line is, we do need a few more cops here, and I do hope to work with Brian Shea and City Council in terms of correcting that and getting it done appropriately.”

The PBA renewed its contract with the City in 2024. Regardless, said Caputo: “Five cops or 50 cops, we’re going to do the best that we can for all of our residents every time we show up for service.”

A detailed workload analysis concluded that 32 patrol officers are needed to properly handle the volume of calls for service. The department currently falls well short of that threshold. The report noted six additional positions where needed in the patrol area, and two additional positions were unfilled at the time of the state study.

Patrol staffing shortages have been exacerbated by a new countywide centralized arraignment system, which forces officers to transport arrestees to courts outside the city, tying up staff for longer periods and further inflating overtime costs. Other factors, such as elimination of mental health programs and the corresponding rise in incidents with those suffering from mental health issues, result in more demands on public safety. Hiring a new officer – due to civil service rules and training – can take as long as a year.

The strain extends beyond patrol. The detective division — which handles criminal investigations, youth cases, internal affairs, evidence management, and public communications — operates with just three detectives and one lieutenant, a staffing level the report deemed “insufficient” for the division’s broad scope of responsibilities. The State recommended an additional detective.

Adding to the pressure, the division commander must juggle an extensive list of administrative duties while also managing active investigations. The lieutenant effectively remains on call 24/7, logging 159 extra shifts beyond his regular schedule last year.

Budget Pressure and Public Safety Concerns

Police operations account for roughly 34% of the City of Rye’s 2024 operating budget, with salaries and overtime forming the largest share of expenses. While special event assignments and construction details reimburse some overtime costs, nearly half of all overtime in 2023 — about 4,490 hours — was attributed to backfilling patrol vacancies, not extraordinary events.

The state analysts cautioned that reliance on overtime as a “permanent solution” could degrade service quality and officer morale over time.

What’s Next?

The report recommends that Rye city officials increase patrol staffing by at least six additional officers and add one full-time detective to relieve pressure on the investigative team. It also suggests reassigning some administrative duties away from sworn officers to improve efficiency.

City leaders now face critical decisions: whether to expand the department, revise union contracts, reallocate responsibilities, or implement alternative staffing models to address the growing gaps.

Publisher’s note: this story was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

This story was updated Saturday, April 26th with comments from the Rye Mayor.