The end of the year is bringing major changes to the Stratford Police Department, mainly in the form of vacancies.

There are currently six openings within the department. That list of vacancies will grow even larger on Jan. 1 with the retirement of seven officers, including a commanding officer. Stratford Police Chief John Buturla says this is a stressful time as the department is losing veteran officers with decades of experience.

?It affects the day-to-day operations of the department, it affects morale, it affects the officers who are going to work a great deal of patrol overtime,? Buturla says.

Buturla cites lucrative pensions as the cause for the spike in retirements. According to Buturla, the last 24 months of an officer?s take-home pay is what determines the pension. He adds that the Sikorsky strike along with road construction projects brought salaries to an all-time high.