Board of Aldermen 12-23-2019 Page 6
Jim Testaverde Thank you my name is Jim Testaverde, | am Deputy Chief of Police with the Nashua
Police Department. | am here in support of both contracts for the UFPO and the Nashua Police
Supervisor’s Association, but | will keep my comments specifically to the Supervisor’s Association and | will
be here throughout the duration if anyone has any questions. The Mayor spoke very eloquently about
working together as a City and the Police Department, like many agencies around the City, have gotten
together in the Collective Bargaining Strategy Committee and we are working together to try to do what is
best for our people and the City as a whole. But we just learned about this monetary issue with healthcare
very recently and we are having trouble believing that this is a new phenomenon that the City just learned
about. And if they had known about it for a while, it wasn’t communicated properly.
This particular contract with the Supervisors was negotiated, in its entirety, before we ever heard anything
from the City about the issue with the healthcare. In addition, I've heard the Mayor many times speak
publicly about the men and women, the first line supervisors that are out there in the wee hours of the
morning in uniform, you know, protecting all of us with Police and Fire. This contract is who that
represents, these are the sergeants and the lieutenants, these are the first line supervisors which is the
most vital and integral level in any law enforcement entity in the nation. If you ask any Police Department,
they will tell you the first line supervisors are the most vital to the success of any agency.
These are the mean and women that are out there. These are the men and women, that when we are all
going to be home, myself included God willing on Christmas Day, they are going to be out on the streets.
We are down, | said at the Budget Review Hearing, 17 going on 18, when | say going on 18 it is because
one of our people’s background investigation is almost done. We swore in 3 new officers a week ago; they
are no good to us for 6 to 9 months on average. So | still hold that we are down 17 to 18 officers; that’s
about 20% of our patrol force right now. The Mayor talked about what | know he doesn’t want to do of
cutting services, 20% reduction in our patrol force and we are not cutting services whatsoever. We don’t
just think of the Police Department; | am looking around this room, we have never disregarded a phone call,
an e-mail from anyone here, a meeting a committee, opioid crisis, homelessness, mental health, suicide,
children, schools. Any issue that comes up from this circle or from anyone standing behind me or out in the
community, we are there for it. So we are working, we are not just thinking about ourselves, but when we
are losing people, what is being told to me and | agree with this, in over 21 years serving the City, the one
thing that has remained consistent, it is never a good contract year for City Employees. It is never a good
contract year. We have bad economies, we have pension issues up at the State, now we have healthcare
issues and once again it’s not a good time. But we are hemorrhaging good men and women and we have
to compete with Massachusetts because we are on the border with Massachusetts and more than half of
our agency is form Massachusetts myself included. We came up here for a better way of life and a better
community and a better way to do law enforcement, but we are losing our people.
Again, | said | would be here. | just want to end, | am sure you all saw it, because the Mayor tweeted it a
few weeks ago and | was very proud that we are once again in the Top 10 Safest Communities in the
Country. And | am not saying that is all because of the Police Department but | would like to think that we
play some meager role in all that and | would like that to continue very much. So regardless of how the
vote goes tonight, | wish you from the bottom of the heart a very healthy and safe Holiday Season. Thank
you.
Lou Juris Good evening, thank you for letting me speak tonight.
President Wilshire
| need your name and address.
Lou Juris 56 Haines, | am going ahead of myself here which is kind of rare but | think it is important to go
forward with the school project. As we know, Elm Street for a long time, it would be good to understand
how it might understand our tax bill, but at the same time, | wonder what the existing facility is impacting us
right now.
