Harlan Kirgan
Eunice Police reserve officers serve the city, but also save the city some big bucks, Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said.
The reserve officers are paid once a year in November and this year the 24 officers received a total of about $15,000, he said.
The officers are paid $20 for each assignment, which can last an hour or more. This year the officers logged about 3,300 hours.
“I estimate our savings to the police department at about $50,000 a year,” Fontenot said.
Reserve officers during the August flooding served up to 10 hours in an assignment, yet the pay is $20, he said.
The assignments vary, he said.
The reserve officers supervise trusties, he said. “They help us with parades, Mardi Gras and all of those things,” he said.
Reserve officers also join regular officers on patrol, which can provide backup and an extra set of eyes, Deputy Chief Richard Daigle said.
Daigle said he began work with the department as a reserve officer.
Some Reserve officers work, but never log in for payment, he said.
The annual paychecks range from a high of $4,100 to a low of $80, he said.
Many look a the annual paycheck as a Christmas bonus, he said.
Given the hours worked, Fontenot estimated that using the lowest-paid police officers the same work would have cost the city at least $60,000.
When he took office in January 2015, there about five reserve officers, he said.
The Board of Aldermen has been helpful in supporting rebuilding the reserve force, he said.
The reserve officers are led by David Arnaud, he said. Reserve Capt. Jimmie Edwards organizes funeral escorts in the city, he said.
The officers are required to undergo training such as qualifying for their firearms and taking a psychological examination, which are required by the city’s insurance company, he said.
The reserve officers are equipped by the city except for firearms, which they must buy for themselves.
The Eunice Police Department is budgeted for 47 employees of which 33 are sworn officers, he said.