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Main Page Brookfield's propose regional police complex
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Worcester T&G

Monday, February 4, 2008

Regional police quarters proposed

By James F. Russell CORRESPONDENT

NORTH BROOKFIELD— The chairman of the Board of Selectmen says building a regional police complex could save millions of dollars in construction costs and provide superior police quarters to the three towns it would serve — North Brookfield, Brookfield and West Brookfield.

Officials said the proposal is worth considering but acknowledged that police chiefs are not on board.

Chairman James J. Foyle wrote a letter to selectmen in the neighboring towns last week, outlining the idea.

“It has come to our attention that all of our communities are presently in need of new police station facilities,” Mr. Foyle wrote in a Jan. 29 letter to Brookfield and West Brookfield selectmen.

“We would like your thoughts on the possibility of creating a Brookfields Police Complex. Such a complex would maintain the autonomy of each supporting town and yet benefit from the synergisms of common police functions. It is also thought that collaboratively spending $5 million on one facility would produce a better equipped/functioning site than spending $3 million independently on 3 sites.”

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Foyle said cost was an estimate, and that a lot of preparatory work would be needed to move the idea forward. He said area police chiefs have not endorsed the proposal.

He also said he had discussed the idea with North Brookfield Police Chief Aram Thomasian.

“Chief Thomasian has talked to other police chiefs and they want to maintain their autonomy,” Mr. Foyle said.

Figuring out how to regionalize a police station while maintaining each force’s local autonomy might pose the greatest obstacle, Mr. Foyle said. He said North Brookfield has set aside $3.1 million to construct new police headquarters. The Police Department has been operating out of a cramped space in a former barroom.

Mr. Foyle said it is too early to address questions such as where a regional police station might be located.

Brookfield Selectman Ronald J. Dackson said the idea deserves careful scrutiny because of the potential cost savings.

“If it is going to save the towns big bucks, you have to look at it,” Mr. Dackson said. “There is an awful lot to be ironed out, a lot to take into consideration.”

Mr. Dackson said Brookfield leases a single-family dwelling on Route 9 for $1,400 per month to house the Police Department. He said the lease expires in about 2-1/2 years, and that officials have not decided on a future arrangement.

Mr. Dackson also said Brookfield Police Chief Ross B. Ackerman has weighed in on the consolidation idea.

“Our chief has stated he did not think it would work,” Mr. Dackson said in a telephone interview yesterday.

West Brookfield Selectmen Chairman John V. Tivnan said consolidating has merit, but the state should be helping out.

“A regional police building is the type of thing cities and towns will have to address if they are to survive,” Mr. Tivnan said yesterday. “It would be nice if the Legislature came up with incentives to regionalize, like they do with the schools.”

West Brookfield’s police station, housed in the Town Hall, does not have cells and restrains prisoners by handcuffing them to a piece of apparatus.

Mr. Tivnan said selectmen only recently obtained Mr. Foyle’s letter and had not yet spoken with the police chief about it or discussed it as a board.

Can regional police officers be far behind??

Posted by: CHICwithBADGE

Isn't there a state police barracks in Brookfield. Sounds like a waste of money to me...

Posted by: screamineagle

thers a state police barracks in south boston too. whats your point?

Posted by: Macop

What does the MSP have to do with it?

Posted by: Foxy85

Chic with badge = Mildly retarded....

East Brookfield doesn't get to be included?

Posted by: sherifflittle

always spending money

Posted by: Sniper

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxy85

Chic with badge = Mildly retarded....

East Brookfield doesn't get to be included?

I just spit water all over my computer keyboard....... hhahahahhaa

please define mildly. hahahahah

Posted by: sgtsmithers

If they just put a fence around Spencer, East Brookfield wouldn't need a police force.

Posted by: CHICwithBADGE

I'm just saying the State Police would able to cover those towns like Brookfield, Barre, New Braintree like the State Police does out in western Mass. It's not being mentally retarded for the towns to look at something that's more cost effective like eliminating the local PDs (Just kidding). Lets be straight here. It's tough economic times. Local Aid from the state is drying up and forget the federal monies. The state is facing a billion dollar deficit. Put more money into the schools. That way we'll have a more educated people ER-GO and less crime. It's just something to think about even if you're mildly retarded.

Posted by: j809

Those people wanted and have had their local PDs for quite a few years. MSP cannot offer the policing and quick response times that the local PD can offer. More and more towns are establishing their own PDs or going to 24 hours coverage. MSP does a great job at assisting the local PDs with extra backup,K9s etc, but I don't think they really want to provide patrols for towns.

Posted by: MallPolice

I think you make a very valid point. However, I think that the strenghts of regionalization have created a bastard child in that local governments now see regionalization as a way, not of effective policing, but of cost reduction. My fear in regionalizing was never in creating a better state police, but in eliminating the local police. Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it!

Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

thers a state police barracks in south boston too. whats your point?

There's a slight difference between South Boston and Brookfield....about 200,000 people.

Don't drag the MSP into this...the MSP is happy to assist with local calls for service, which, by the way, are frequent in the Brookfields, but we are not a replacement for local departments.

The problem with a regional police station, is the public's perception that if all the police from three towns are consolidated in one building, then why not just one department? And all the towns would lose out because you can bet your ass that the towns combine departments, police officers would get laid off.

Hypothetically if town A and B, both with 20-man departments combine, they would not keep a 40-officer regional department for long. The regional department could lay off ten officers, and still tell people "we added ten officers to your town's department." Regionalization is nothing but a scam to save town's money by cutting back police services. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking regionalization will increase the total amount of police officers on the street....its simply a financial shell game.

Posted by: screamineagle

I didn't drag MSP into anything. Chickwithadick did. Making a statement like theres a barracks in the brookfields that can patrol the area makes about as much sense as the south boston Barracks patrolling south boston. I have always been and alway will be pro MSP. Most of the towns that were mentioned do well with their own depts. I live in one of those towns, and I know that the muni's there have a excellent working relationship with MSP, which I hope continues.

Posted by: mikemac64

People spoke of regionalization years ago on my last department. There is support in the MGL for this. The biggest was always this: Who becomes Chief?

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/41-99b.htm

Posted by: brk113

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHICwithBADGE

Isn't there a state police barracks in Brookfield. Sounds like a waste of money to me...

Posted by: j809

Quote:

Originally Posted by screamineagle

I didn't drag MSP into anything. Chickwithadick did.

Posted by: texdep

A regionalization facility can work.
When I wqs in Texas I saw it work quite effectively.
Housed in the regional facility was booking and lockup, dispatch, training faciliies and vehicle maintenance.
Town departments maintained their own identity and utilized the regional facility for the services above.

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by texdep

A regionalization facility can work.
When I wqs in Texas I saw it work quite effectively.
Housed in the regional facility was booking and lockup, dispatch, training faciliies and vehicle maintenance.
Town departments maintained their own identity and utilized the regional facility for the services above.

This isn't Texas.

The heart of government in Massachusetts since even the Pilgrims are the cities and towns, and I don't ever see people giving up even one facet of that.

Posted by: Killjoy

Something brought up to me by another officer was the financial aspect of regionalization. If Town A had 80% of the calls and Town B has only 20% of the calls, how would you feel being a taxpayer in Town B? Wouldn't you feel you are unfairly penalized for the "convenience" of regional policing? I know I wouldn't want my taxes going up to pay for policing in the neighboring town. Also this would tend to draw officers from Town B to Town A to cover for activity, arrests, backup, etc., leaving Town B with even less police then they had before.

regionalization. = BS

Posted by: Sniper

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk113

so you started your career off as a TOWN COP in Brookfield and are now a CAMPUS COP at UMass ????? Must have gotten tired of watching other cops make easy arrests........... If you aren't shirking your duties, what is wrong with "easy arrests"? Some people just like to be productive. And what the hell is a guess patrol? You had a trooper assigned to your town and he had to guess where you were ?

Your 6 whole posts since you joined the site show that you are a malcontent. Take your shitty attitude somewhere else. I'll be at Sbarro in the food court if anyone needs me........

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy

Something brought up to me by another officer was the financial aspect of regionalization. If Town A had 80% of the calls and Town B has only 20% of the calls, how would you feel being a taxpayer in Town B? Wouldn't you feel you are unfairly penalized for the "convenience" of regional policing? I know I wouldn't want my taxes going up to pay for policing in the neighboring town. Also this would tend to draw officers from Town B to Town A to cover for activity, arrests, backup, etc., leaving Town B with even less police then they had before.

regionalization. = BS

Its similar to living in a city with high and low income areas. Low income areas tend to be higher crime areas, which require a greater amount of police services. In the end, the people who pay the least amount of taxes recieve the greater amount of police service.

It's just the nature of the beast.

Posted by: Sniper

apples and oranges PB&J.......... I usually see eye to eye with you on most things but not here.

Posted by: MM1799

del

Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

Its similar to living in a city with high and low income areas.

People move to suburbs like North Brookfield to avoid living with "low income" areas. These are different towns, not one large city. A better metaphor would be West Palm Beach paying for Miami's metro police.

Posted by: USMCMP5811

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper

Posted by: Hb13

brk113 is somewhat right even though he could have gone about saying it a different way.
I work at the dispatch center for 10 towns including the brookfields and as much as I love having the state police in our area (they do help a hell of alot) they usually do stay worcester way it is a busy area.

Back to the real topic regional police dept. I don't see it working some of the departments might like to see it happen but I don't think the voters/tax payers will want to put out the money for it.

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy

My post was not a statement for or against regional policing, I was merely pointing out that tax payers monies don't always go to the most deserving citizens and if the Brookfields did regionalize, the police will normally go to where the action is, which at times can cause problems.

Miami-Dade PD took over most of that county's law enforcement duties years ago, but now many cities are again creating their own PD's due to the fact they are not satisfied with the level of service MDPD has provided. Palm Beach county is the opposite, the sheriff is now taking over most of the county law enforcement because the cities want to save money by contracting with the sheriff. You know what they say the grass is always greener.

I would've used the West Palm Beach-Miami connection if not for the fact they are an hour and a half from each other and two counties apart

Hopefully the Brookfield's haven't gotten that bad yet, although the penny candy at the Brookfield Orchard was up to .10 cents when I was there in Oct. not to mention how the stuffed dead animals haven't changed in 35 years. Shameful

Posted by: GARDA

Originally Posted by brk113

I started my career off in the small town of Brookfield seven plus years ago. There are alot of great troopers in that barracks but on overnights they are at the Leicester/Worcester line looking for easy arrests. Most of the troopers do not know the area and then you get guess patrols. I once waited for twenty minutes for a back up cruiser from the barracks. He couldn't find me and I was on a numbered route. There is enough work out there to warrant the departments for each town. As for the regionalization of them I'm not sold.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Originally Posted by Sniper>
so you started your career off as a TOWN COP in Brookfield and are now a CAMPUS COP at UMass ????? Must have gotten tired of watching other cops make easy arrests........... If you aren't shirking your duties, what is wrong with "easy arrests"? Some people just like to be productive. And what the hell is a guess patrol? You had a trooper assigned to your town and he had to guess where you were ?
__________________________________________________ _____________

Please explain..."easy arrests"; are those like: "routine traffic stops"?

As you know, there's usually nothing easy nor routine about either one, and I've yet to work alongside any cop who could or would just pick the "easy" ones.

Posted by: brk113

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper

Let me explain what I meant. A trooper near Worcester has a greater possible of finding traffic to stop. That increases their odds of finding an arrest to make (easier to do than being in the Brooffields). If they took their time to get to know their patrol area (west of Worcester) they could also find these arrest but it would require more efforted. My point is that MSP taking over for the town police departments would be a disservice because some of the troopers in the barracks can't find their way around the area.

As for you thing I have a shitty attitude whatever. I couldn't give a rats ass what you thing of me or where I work. I do more work as a "campus cop" then most officers in departments around me. I'm not trying to put anyone down or say they don't know what their doing. and I meant guest patrol not guess patrol. Yes we all fuck up at some point in our life.

Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

As for you thing I have a shitty attitude whatever. I couldn't give a rats ass what you thing of me or where I work. I do more work as a "campus cop" then most officers in departments around me.

What a hero...

Quote:

Miami-Dade PD took over most of that county's law enforcement duties years ago, but now many cities are again creating their own PD's due to the fact they are not satisfied with the level of service MDPD has provided.

Don't know anything about the policing situation in Florida...I just picked two cities on a map. But the perceived lack of effectiveness with the Miami-Dade "county police (or sheriff or whatever)" or "regional police" speaks volumes of its suitability here.

Quote:

Palm Beach county is the opposite, the sheriff is now taking over most of the county law enforcement because the cities want to save money by contracting with the sheriff. You know what they say the grass is always greener.

As I said before, nothing but a financial shell game.

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy

Aren't the State Police the "regional police" in parts of Western Mass??

Posted by: Wolfman

I think the State Police are the State Police in all of Mass.

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

So when someone dials 9-1-1, whether it's for a domestic in Huntington at 0100 or in stabbing in Worcester, a trooper takes the report? State Police maintain the same role regardless of what part of the state they are in?

Posted by: Wolfman

I would expect that Huntington PD are as capable of handling their own domestics as Worcester is of handling a stabbing.

Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

Aren't the State Police the "regional police" in parts of Western Mass??

And, as I've said before, the State Police are not a replacement for an established local department. They simply act as local police in communities that have no police department. If those communities eventually want to pony up the money to establish their own department, the MSP will happily slip into a supporting role.

Posted by: jettsixx

The most wonderful thing about this story, is this selectman idiot Foyle, He seems to have forgotten that the taxpayers of North Brookfield already voted for a new police station to be built. The current station is in the basement of an apartment building which used to be a bar. After a feasabilty study the Town approved funding for a study to determine where to build a new station. After that the towns people voted to build a 3.1 million dollar facility. He is just pissed off because the town also needs a new Town hall wich was declined by the voters. Now he has come up with this idea of a regional PD for $5 milliion dollars (not sure where he got that figure.) The voters approved a 3.1 million dollar station already.

Posted by: SinePari

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk113

Let me explain what I meant. A trooper near Worcester has a greater possible of finding traffic to stop. That increases their odds of finding an arrest to make (easier to do than being in the Brooffields). If they took their time to get to know their patrol area (west of Worcester) they could also find these arrest but it would require more efforted. My point is that MSP taking over for the town police departments would be a disservice because some of the troopers in the barracks can't find their way around the area.

As for you thing I have a shitty attitude whatever. I couldn't give a rats ass what you thing of me or where I work. I do more work as a "campus cop" then most officers in departments around me. I'm not trying to put anyone down or say they don't know what their doing. and I meant guest patrol not guess patrol. Yes we all fuck up at some point in our life.

Maybe, just maybe the Troopers you're referring to

A) are brand new because the job keeps sending boots out there without a significant amount time for area familiarization
B) don't want to work out west because backup isn't readily available and radio coverage sucks
C) prefer to do traffic stops on Rt 9 near Worcester because THAT'S WHERE THE SHITHEADS ARE COMING FROM, which in turn might alleviate some of the problems local police are dealing with
D) have to learn the area of 334 square miles in 11 towns, not just YOUR town

If I send you, a campus cop, on a guest patrol on I-290 it would take you a few months to get comfortable where your landmarks are and the shakes you get when a TT zips past you on the fog line at 70 mph.

Nothing like calling for backup on a 22 mile stretch of road, 44 miles both ways, and having people looking for you because you don't know where you are. You'd think it would be pretty simple to figure out a highway...

Posted by: mpd61

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfman

I think the State Police are the State Police in all of Mass.

Except on U/Mass Amherst Campus. They're actually guests there that could be asked to leave (technically speaking)

Posted by: Hb13

I can't find the article but the same selctman douche wants the new PD to be basically hidden in the back of the land it is supposed to be built on. He was saying something along the lines of the land the PD is going to be built on is also to be used for a business/retail location also. He is worried that the Police Department being out in front on the corner of Grove and School St. will deter people from wanting to shop there. I'm starting to lean towards this "selectman" having some underlying problems with the Polie Department actually having an up to date facility and one that will actually meet their needs. The one they are in now is in a basement and used to be a bar and is about 600 sq feet and the one they are hoping to build is 8,000 sq feet.
Selectman Foyle = Fu*kstick

Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

Except on U/Mass Amherst Campus. They're actually guests there that could be asked to leave (technically speaking)

They weren't "asking" me to leave when I was standing tall on the quad in hats and bats in a skirmish line.

Posted by: Inspector

The comment about putting more money into schools to stop crime has some merit. In theory this would work if we had good schools and a stable population. When students move many times over their developmental years no programs, educational or otherwise can offset the damage done. Those who grew up in the military may say "wait a second" but when you really think about it one U.S. military post was very much like another and there were many support services in place for families in transition. Even then we still have the term "military brat."

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy

They weren't "asking" me to leave when I was standing tall on the quad in hats and bats in a skirmish line.

You didn't hear all the tolerant, compassionate students who were asking you nicely to leave their peaceful "no place for hate" campus??

Posted by: Killjoy

Quote:

You didn't hear all the tolerant, compassionate students who were asking you nicely to leave their peaceful "no place for hate" campus??

LOL!
Not after they got a face full of pepperball.

Posted by: resqjyw0

Police station site under fire

Building panel criticizes selectmen’s action

By Bradford L. Miner
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bminer@telegram.com

NORTH BROOKFIELD— Taking off the gloves, a co-chairman of the Police Building Committee last night criticized the site that selectmen assigned for the new police station.

On April 1, the Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 to put the police station on Grove and South Common streets in the Aztec industrial property being restored.

At last night’s meeting of the selectmen, Eric Hevy, co-chairman of the Police Building Committee, said Selectmen James J. Foyle and Robert O. Lane voted without consideration of facts, research, or the opinion of architects. He said the decision was entirely political and a travesty for the town.

Mr. Foyle and Mr. Lane voted for the site, and Selectman James N. Caldwell dissented.

Mr. Hevy and other committee members asked Mr. Foyle and Mr. Lane whether they would reconsider their decision if a nonbinding referendum at the May 9 town meeting gave preference to a location on Grove or School streets in the Aztec site. They did not directly answer the question.

Robert Filipkowski, building committee member, reminded board members that the police station was a community building being paid for by taxpayers.

“It concerns me gravely that what the townspeople want may be disregarded by this board,” he said.

Members of the Police Building Committee said if they had their way, contractors would already be constructing the police station on town-owned property at Routes 67 and 148.

Because that property is designated as “town forest,” the committee chose not to attempt to surmount the obstacles to use that site.

Mr. Cummings said aside from the placement of the building on the South Common Street site, there were unanswered and potentially costly issues of a brook flowing under the site as well as a sewer line.

Mr. Foyle said those factors were not deal-breakers and he was concerned not only with what was best for the Police Department, but the best possible use of the entire site for the benefit of the entire community.

http://www.telegram.com/article/2008...153/NEWSREWIND

Posted by: jettsixx

This is absolutely ridiculous. They have a place to put the new station and The townspeople have already voted for the new station. The current station is in a former bar in the basement of an apartment building. There are people living above it, it is not handicap accessable. The selectmen in that town have thier own agenda.

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