Dikun Responds to Overtime Critics

Point Beach Police Lt. Robert Dikun is responding to complaints that he received too much overtime pay last year, as well as questions about how he apportions his time between duties at the police department and the Ocean County Police Academy.

Dikun, in a statement emailed to Patch Tuesday night (see attached PDF), that was also sent to Point Beach Mayor Vincent Barrella and council members, he defends his overtime pay, adding that he is speaking only for himself and not on behalf of the police department.

Earlier this month, a local resident circulated an email challenging the fact that Dikun earned about $70,000 in overtime last year and also questioning how Dikun divides his time between the academy, where he is an instructor, and the local police department.

In 2011, Dikun earned an annual base salary of $125,272, plus $61,428 in overtime and $8,786 in "compensatory pay," which is time and a half overtime pay in lieu of compensatory time, as allowed by police contracts, said Kathy Beno, Point Beach deputy finance officer.

Dikun and Chief O'Hara provided some answers to Councilman Bret Gordon, who is the council liaison to the police department, and, initially, referred questions from Patch to Gordon.

At the last council meeting, Police Chief Kevin O'Hara defended Dikun's overtime and explained how he uses his time at the local department and at the academy.

O'Hara was responding to resident Marilyn Burke, who was the only resident to get up at the microphone and ask questions about the overtime. Burke seemed satisfied with the answers and continued the discussion with O'Hara privately, and, seemingly, amicably, during a break in the meeting.

At the meeting, Barrella and council members did not voice any criticisms of the overtime, but a few did compliment the police department on the job they're doing.

O'Hara said at the meeting that one of the primary reasons the department has had to utilize Dikun so heavily is he and Dikun are the only two administrative level police officials in the 21- member department, so multiple tasks that must be carried out by a high-level police official have had to be done by Dikun.

Barrella said the council has to start considering promoting officers to help spread out the workload that must be carried out by high-level police officials.

One of many points Dikun makes in his statement is criticism of the former council for turning "deaf ears" to his pleas to bring the Point Beach Municipal Court back to Point Beach Borough Hall.

In 2010, the Point Beach municipal court had been moved to Point Borough's Borough Hall through a shared services agreement that cost the Point Beach police department $20,000 in overtime last year because Point Beach has to staff court with full-time, regular police officers, rather than special officers who get paid less, according to O'Hara.

That's because special officers do not have jurisdiction in Point Borough, O'Hara said.

In his statement (see page 4), Dikun said he wrote "memorandums imploring the governing body to re-evaluate the agreement since it was an operational and fiscal nightmare, but they fell on deaf ears."

Dikun said that in addition to having to use detectives as security officers during municipal court sessions in Point Borough, "uniformed personnel" must also be used, as per a state requirement.

At the last council meeting, Barrella and council members moved to urge Point Borough to agree to Point Beach taking back its court, but to still share court personnel with Point Beach for cost savings.

When told of this, Point Borough Councilman Robert Sabosik said he is interested in having that matter on the next Point Borough Council agenda.

When Dikun was asked if he personally was paid any overtime for manning security detail in Point Borough, during Beach court sessions, he wrote in an email on Wednesday, "None of my overtime was for court security. It was done during normal working hours.

"I couldn't tell you how many hours I was there because it would have been part of my normal work day but I did not spend an inordinate amount of time there, however," Dikun wrote. "It was difficult enough to send a $30.00 per hour employee to do a $10.05 per hour detail. It really becomes difficult justify using a $60.00 per hour employee for that same $10.05 per hour detail."

When asked how the Beach police department used to staff municipal court, when it was held in Point Beach Borough Hall, Dikun said the department would plan in advance to use special police offices during both the summer and the off-season, when there are fewer specials working.

"We would pre-plan for the use of Special Law Enforcement Officers II whether it was a session during the summer or in the off-season," he said. "It was a system that had been in place at least since I got here in 1978. Naturally, things have gotten busier so the need for court-related personnel has also increased. But it's easy math. If we need 3 officers who are trained and qualified in the detail and only have to pay $10.05 per hour, why would we pay 6 or 7 times that amount?"

Editors' Note: In the second paragraph opening of Dikun's statement, he says he supplied information to "you," which refers to the council.