Use of regional police team rankles some local cops
By Jill Harmacinski
Staff writer
When a suicidal man barricaded himself in his Danvers home this month, local police called on a little-known regional police team to help.
Forty police officers - from as close as Peabody and as far away as Concord - responded to the scene, some in police cruisers, others in their own cars.
The officers belong to the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, or NEMLEC, a regional police group that responds to emergencies in member communities. Police departments pay an average of $5,000 a year to join the organization.
More than 40 police departments have done so, including four on the North Shore - Danvers, Peabody, Marblehead and Gloucester. Police officers assigned to the group carry pagers that alert them to emergencies.
Some local officials view NEMLEC as simply another level of protection. "Crime doesn't end at the city borders," Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfanti said.
But critics say the same protection is already provided for free by state police, who have a local headquarters in Danvers and dozens of troopers on the North Shore.
And it means local taxpayers foot the bills not only for the annual membership fee, which differs depending on the size of the community, but for the hours, including overtime, their local police officers work when responding to out-of-town calls.
"Why are townspeople paying for the same services that are already provided by state police for free?" asked David Cortese, secretary of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, the union for state troopers.
Worth the cost?
NEMLEC has been around since 1963, but only recently have North Shore police departments started to join. Danvers signed up two months ago, paying a $5,000 annual membership fee for five of its officers to join, said Danvers Police Capt. Neil Ouellette.
Peabody Chief Robert Champagne was recently elected president of NEMLEC. Peabody joined the group six years ago because it was a "logical" approach to increasing the department's emphasis on community policing, Champagne said.
"The idea of having a force multiplier ... makes great sense to us," he said.
The group provides an array of services to its member communities - access to armored and tactical units, crowd control and accident reconstruction teams, a cyber crime unit, and a school-threat assessment team. Officers who join NEMLEC are trained monthly by the organization at a variety of locations.
NEMLEC is nonprofit, Champagne said, noting that membership fees are used to purchase equipment and offset training costs.
Champagne said membership "entitles you to a lot of things ... and training costs money, no matter where you send officers."
When NEMLEC officers are called out of their own towns and cities, they are usually paid for their work by their own departments. But supporters say the extra protection and training make membership worthwhile.
"I think it's a great investment, and that regional, cooperative effort is really a plus," said Michael Powers, chairman of the Board of Selectmen in Danvers.
Marblehead Police Chief James Carney said he looks at NEMLEC membership as an insurance policy - one the town paid $4,000 for this year. In an emergency, Marblehead could quickly pull 100 police officers into town, he said. Marblehead joined the group last June and has not yet needed NEMLEC's help, Carney said.
Police chiefs in Salem, Ipswich and Lynn say they haven't joined NEMLEC because they can't spare the manpower or the money. Lynn's chief, John Suslak, called the cost and commitment "somewhat daunting."
Wenham pulled out of NEMLEC after one year for financial reasons, Police Chief William McKenzie said. Faced with a tight budget, McKenzie said he couldn't afford to send even one officer to the group training.
"I really would like to stay in," he said, "but I really can't justify spending money on something that's really an insurance policy. It's a nice thing to have if you need it, and hopefully you'll never need it."
State police not happy
Police chiefs who have joined NEMLEC insist the regional police force does not conflict with state police.
"They work hand-in-hand with state police," Carney said. "Especially in this day and age, the more the merrier is my philosophy. I'd rather have too many people helping me than not enough."
During the recent Danvers incident, police called in not only the NEMLEC team, but also two state police crisis negotiators and a state police psychiatrist. The incident ended peacefully.
"There are no egos involved in this," Ouellette said.
But some state troopers are not happy about the growth of NEMLEC and similar groups in southeastern Massachusetts and Boston.
After last Sunday's incident in Danvers, local troopers complained to union officials, according to Cortese.
Troopers assigned to specialty units, such as the state police armored and tactical team, "feel work is being taken away from them by some of these regional units," Cortese said. "We are now examining what action we might take in response to this."
Cortese said he suspects residents are unaware of the liability issues the regional police groups might pose. When officers in NEMLEC are called to an incident, many respond in their personal cars and drive at high speeds, without the benefit of lights and sirens, he said.
"In contrast with us, our troopers are issued cruisers they take to their homes," Cortese said.
According to a spokeswoman for the state police, officials are working cooperatively with the regional police groups and striving to keep the lines of communication open.
When asked if top state police officials have any concerns about the groups, State Police Lt. Sharon Costine said, "We wouldn't make a statement like that. We are trying to work with them."
Jill Harmacinski can be reached at (978) 338-2652 or by email at JHarmacinski@ecnnews.com.
Salem News December 30, 2004 www.salemnews.com
By Jill Harmacinski
Staff writer
When a suicidal man barricaded himself in his Danvers home this month, local police called on a little-known regional police team to help.
Forty police officers - from as close as Peabody and as far away as Concord - responded to the scene, some in police cruisers, others in their own cars.
The officers belong to the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, or NEMLEC, a regional police group that responds to emergencies in member communities. Police departments pay an average of $5,000 a year to join the organization.
More than 40 police departments have done so, including four on the North Shore - Danvers, Peabody, Marblehead and Gloucester. Police officers assigned to the group carry pagers that alert them to emergencies.
Some local officials view NEMLEC as simply another level of protection. "Crime doesn't end at the city borders," Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfanti said.
But critics say the same protection is already provided for free by state police, who have a local headquarters in Danvers and dozens of troopers on the North Shore.
And it means local taxpayers foot the bills not only for the annual membership fee, which differs depending on the size of the community, but for the hours, including overtime, their local police officers work when responding to out-of-town calls.
"Why are townspeople paying for the same services that are already provided by state police for free?" asked David Cortese, secretary of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, the union for state troopers.
Worth the cost?
NEMLEC has been around since 1963, but only recently have North Shore police departments started to join. Danvers signed up two months ago, paying a $5,000 annual membership fee for five of its officers to join, said Danvers Police Capt. Neil Ouellette.
Peabody Chief Robert Champagne was recently elected president of NEMLEC. Peabody joined the group six years ago because it was a "logical" approach to increasing the department's emphasis on community policing, Champagne said.
"The idea of having a force multiplier ... makes great sense to us," he said.
The group provides an array of services to its member communities - access to armored and tactical units, crowd control and accident reconstruction teams, a cyber crime unit, and a school-threat assessment team. Officers who join NEMLEC are trained monthly by the organization at a variety of locations.
NEMLEC is nonprofit, Champagne said, noting that membership fees are used to purchase equipment and offset training costs.
Champagne said membership "entitles you to a lot of things ... and training costs money, no matter where you send officers."
When NEMLEC officers are called out of their own towns and cities, they are usually paid for their work by their own departments. But supporters say the extra protection and training make membership worthwhile.
"I think it's a great investment, and that regional, cooperative effort is really a plus," said Michael Powers, chairman of the Board of Selectmen in Danvers.
Marblehead Police Chief James Carney said he looks at NEMLEC membership as an insurance policy - one the town paid $4,000 for this year. In an emergency, Marblehead could quickly pull 100 police officers into town, he said. Marblehead joined the group last June and has not yet needed NEMLEC's help, Carney said.
Police chiefs in Salem, Ipswich and Lynn say they haven't joined NEMLEC because they can't spare the manpower or the money. Lynn's chief, John Suslak, called the cost and commitment "somewhat daunting."
Wenham pulled out of NEMLEC after one year for financial reasons, Police Chief William McKenzie said. Faced with a tight budget, McKenzie said he couldn't afford to send even one officer to the group training.
"I really would like to stay in," he said, "but I really can't justify spending money on something that's really an insurance policy. It's a nice thing to have if you need it, and hopefully you'll never need it."
State police not happy
Police chiefs who have joined NEMLEC insist the regional police force does not conflict with state police.
"They work hand-in-hand with state police," Carney said. "Especially in this day and age, the more the merrier is my philosophy. I'd rather have too many people helping me than not enough."
During the recent Danvers incident, police called in not only the NEMLEC team, but also two state police crisis negotiators and a state police psychiatrist. The incident ended peacefully.
"There are no egos involved in this," Ouellette said.
But some state troopers are not happy about the growth of NEMLEC and similar groups in southeastern Massachusetts and Boston.
After last Sunday's incident in Danvers, local troopers complained to union officials, according to Cortese.
Troopers assigned to specialty units, such as the state police armored and tactical team, "feel work is being taken away from them by some of these regional units," Cortese said. "We are now examining what action we might take in response to this."
Cortese said he suspects residents are unaware of the liability issues the regional police groups might pose. When officers in NEMLEC are called to an incident, many respond in their personal cars and drive at high speeds, without the benefit of lights and sirens, he said.
"In contrast with us, our troopers are issued cruisers they take to their homes," Cortese said.
According to a spokeswoman for the state police, officials are working cooperatively with the regional police groups and striving to keep the lines of communication open.
When asked if top state police officials have any concerns about the groups, State Police Lt. Sharon Costine said, "We wouldn't make a statement like that. We are trying to work with them."
Jill Harmacinski can be reached at (978) 338-2652 or by email at JHarmacinski@ecnnews.com.
Salem News December 30, 2004 www.salemnews.com