This week the state Senate unanimously approved a bill that would make it easier for retired state troopers to be employed as part-time police officers in the villages of Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Malone, some of which have dealt with low staffing numbers in recent years.

However, the chiefs at these three village police departments say it is unlikely they would be able capitalize on this rule change often, and they said they might not hire part-time officers even if they could.

The bill would allow retired troopers to become municipal officers within one year after their retirement without taking the civil service exam.

Troopers take a different exam than police officers, which doesn’t carry over, and if they want to work for a village department after retirement, there is an age limit on the civil service exam.

The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, still will be taken up in the Assembly, and Assemblyman Billy Jones D-Chateaugay Lake, has sponsored a companion bill in the Governmental Employees Committee.

“I’ve always been interested in ‘outside of the box’ ideas that help communities meet their needs,” Little wrote in a press release. “This would give these villages a hiring option. By waiving the exam, there would be a time and cost-savings.”

Little said this legislation was requested by the three villages to provide flexibility in meeting public safety needs.

Tupper Lake village Mayor Paul Maroun was the main proponent of the bill and referred to it as the “Maroun bill.” He said he’s been trying to get it passed for seven or eight years now. It has passed the Senate before but not both chambers.

He said if troopers want to become police officers, they shouldn’t have to take the civil service exam, too, because they’ve already passed the trooper exam.

If an applicant is 35 years old by the date of the Franklin County civil service exam, they are ineligible to apply. There are exceptions of up to six years for military duty or terminal leave, which the applicants can have deducted from their age requirement.

The bill’s language gives police departments the authority to “authorize the appointment and employment, without examination or compliance with any other requirement of this section,” voiding the requirement to take the test.

The troopers would still have to pass a physical fitness test.

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Too late?

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Tupper Lake police Chief Eric Proulx said though he never understood why the trooper-to-officer option without another test was not allowed before, he’s not sure how much response he will see from this change.

“I’ve never had a state trooper apply for part-time employment at my department, so I couldn’t tell you,” Proulx said. “I don’t see a group of retired troopers coming to my department looking for part-time employment for 18 to 20 dollars an hour … I guess it would make the pool of candidates a bit bigger, but I just don’t know how big of a pool of retired state troopers you’re going to have to fill part-time positions at small municipalities like mine.”

Maroun said years ago, some retiring state troopers had considered becoming officers, and that is what sparked the idea for the bill.

Saranac Lake Police Chief James Joyce said Essex County has let troopers become police officers, but since his department’s district is split between Franklin and Essex counties and its civil service department is based in Franklin County, it has not been able to do that.

Joyce said when Bruce Nason was chief from 2008 to 2014, there was a retired trooper who wanted to apply.

“It’s not like there’s an endless pool to draw from, but it would increase the flexibility to some degree,” Joyce said. “Probably it will be a once-in-a-while thing.”

Malone police Chief Christopher Premo also said he never really needed this change made.

“I don’t know anybody right now that’s interested in that,” Premo said.

However, he said he would consider utilizing it if the opportunity came up, but he doubts that would be often.

“In today’s law enforcement climate, why would you want to retire and come back to work part-time?” Premo said.

He also said hiring part-time officers is uncommon for him, because they can’t follow up on cases and fill out the paperwork as fast.

Premo said troopers often retire with $90,000 to $100,000-a-year pensions, and that a part-time position would only pay up to $35,000 a year.

Proulx said he could make another hire to his 11-person department now, and that there will be a retirement in his department in October, but that he would not be able to hire a part-time position.

Joyce said his department is fully staffed now, with two more officers training in the academy.

Premo said his department has gotten by with 13 officers for around a decade, which has been cut back from 19 in 1999.

“I understand there’s a burden on the village taxpayers now, so I don’t really plan on getting any additional people to help,” Premo said.

Proulx said while the civil service exam is usually held every two years, another exam is being held this fall, as last year’s turnout was low.

“With what’s going on in the country now, I’d be surprised if anybody wanted to be a police officer these days,” Proulx said.

The exam date this year is Sept. 26, and the last date to file for it is Aug. 17.

Maroun said he hopes this bill will be taken up in the Assembly when it returns to session in August. He said the change has received opposition from Long Island and Erie County police unions because they worry it will eliminate full-time officer jobs. However, he said that is not the goal and that the regional bill should not be controversial.

“Why anybody would oppose it is beyond me,” Maroun said.