Montville - An increase in the number of officers on staff should be a priority for the Montville Police Department if the department becomes independent, said Lt. Leonard Bunnell during a presentation to the Law Enforcement Feasibility Committee meeting Tuesday.

The department is currently overseen by state police and has a resident state trooper. The committee is charged with producing a report on the anticipated costs and possible department policies of a proposed independent police force.

Bunnell recommended budgeting for 31 officers. The current budget allows for 23, according to an Oct. 3 memo Bunnell read to the committee.

"All of the studies in the past 10 years have called for 30 officers for the present Constabulary, not just in the transition to a regular police department," states the memo, referring to past studies exploring the feasibility of the town establishing an independent police department.

He said insufficient staffing has resulted in a backlog of work and means some tasks that require more time, such as reviewing and updating department policies, are never completed.

Resident Trooper Sgt. James Smith recommended two more patrol officers than Bunnell recommended, bringing the sergeant's recommendation to 33 officers.

Smith also presented a list of functions that the state currently covers for the town as part of the residential trooper program. Tasks include data collection, administrative work and tasks associated with the statewide narcotics task force.

Tuesday's presentation comprised the first of a series that the committee is planning to host at its meetings. The committee is in the process of inviting police chiefs from area towns to speak about how their independent departments function, as well as Montville officials including Finance Director Terry Hart.

Since it began meeting last month, the committee conducted preliminary research for the report it plans to release in 2015. Committee members have been formulating questions related to past reports.

The committee recently compiled a written list of questions exploring topics such as the relationship between the proposed independent department and other state and municipal law enforcement agencies, cost projections, and what role the proposed regional dispatch center would play in the formation of the independent department.

Committee member Victor Lenda submitted the question, "Why has this (proposal) continued to fail and lack support from the voters?"

His question cited that the town had over time commissioned at least four studies on the feasibility of its police department going independent, yet the prospect of an independent police force had never made it past the ballot.

The question specifically referenced a 2012 report that Committee Chairman Wills Pike said the town had spent $40,000 to commission.

Committee member Jeff Buebendorf drew attention to the question Tuesday, emphasizing that the committee needed to find a way to avoid the pitfalls of past attempts to propose something appealing to town residents.

"I don't want to waste time putting together a nice report and have it just go stagnant," he said.

t.townsend@theday.com

Twitter: @ConnecticuTess