Newport Police Department has three vacant patrol officer positions, triple the number from two years ago, according to a departmental overview Chief S. Alex Lee prepared for the Board of Selectmen on Monday, Oct. 19.
The vacancies leave the department, which has 13 full-time sworn officer positions, short-handed as it handles an estimated 9,667 calls for service in 2026. A fourth officer is listed as out on injury.
The staffing gap has been building. Lee told the Board of Selectmen at its Jan. 19 meeting that the department had carried two open patrol positions for roughly two years. He said many applicants fail physical fitness and polygraph exams or accept offers from higher-paying agencies offering signing bonuses of up to $30,000.
MeetingWatch, a website that tracks local government meetings, reported that Lee told the Oct. 19 board meeting that administrative staff were covering patrol shifts. The account also reported that Lee said Newport police salaries run 10% to 15% below surrounding agencies.
Seven officers left the department over the past five years for higher-paying agencies, Lee told selectmen in January. A recently adopted union contract had helped stabilize the roster, with no departures since its passage at that time, he said.
The cost goes beyond recruitment. Lee presented data in January showing a filled patrol shift costs $36.73 per hour on average, while covering the same shift with overtime runs $62.39 per hour including benefits. Hiring, equipping and training a single new officer takes about a year and costs between $90,000 and $110,000.
Lee's overview shows the department has continued reporting enforcement activity despite the strain. Arrests rose from 281 in 2022 to an estimated 323 in 2026, a 15% increase. The department secured a $210,000 drug investigation grant, completed a $218,000 dispatch equipment upgrade and established a fully grant-funded K-9 unit.
Rising fuel and insurance costs are also pressuring the police budget, according to Lee's overview. The Board of Selectmen received his October update but took no formal action on staffing solutions during the presentation, MeetingWatch reported.
Lee outlined next steps at the January meeting: signing and retention bonuses tied to multiyear contracts, continued salary adjustments and specialty training opportunities to give officers a reason to stay.
