Two new audits released by Comptroller William C. Thompson’s office May 21 demonstrate that the city could reap tremendous savings by civilianizing more jobs that don’t need uniformed personnel.

“The city could easily achieve savings through attrition while employing qualified personnel,” he said. One audit recommends that 313 positions in the Dept. of Corrections be civilianized. This would result in a savings of $5.8 million. Civilianizing 167 positions at the Dept. of Sanitation would save the city $4.7 million, said the other.

The comptroller’s analysis backs up the recommendations of DC 37’s first White Paper, which Executive Director Lillian Roberts released in May 2002. Clerical-Administrative Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez praised Mr. Thompson for conducting the audits.

“The comptroller’s recent reports on the Corrections and Sanitation Departments validate what Local 1549 has been saying for so many years about the cost savings that the city could achieve by implementing civilianization,” said Mr. Rodriguez.

The audits analyzed the personnel and functions of both Sanitation and Corrections, unit by unit. A review of the audits quickly demonstrates the logic of the comptroller’s argument. For example, it doesn’t take highly paid, uniformed Corrections Officers to schedule agility exams, answer telephones, or process orders for supplies and equipment.

The Dept. of Sanitation has 21 uniformed and 12 civilian employees working in its Derelict Vehicles Operations Unit. Basically, the DVO Unit coordinates the referral of information about abandoned cars left on city streets. The audit identified 20 positions in this unit as ripe for civilianization. Filling these 20 positions with civilians instead of uniformed personnel would save the City $619,443.

The Comptroller’s audits conclude with two basic recommendations: (1) The Departments of Sanitation and Corrections civilianize the positions identified in the reports. (2) Both agencies set up ongoing, systematic efforts to identify uniformed positions that are appropriate for civilianization.