05/31/2022
Press release from Patrolman's union
Greenfield Police
MassCop Local #470
321 High Street Greenfield, Massachusetts, 01301
Phone (413) 773-5411 Fax (413) 774-6969
For Immediate release:
RE: City Council Vote to Reduce Police Budget
Dear Residents of Greenfield:
This letter is written on behalf of the Greenfield Police Patrol Officers’ Association, MassCOP Local 470 (Union), who represent all permanently appointed full-time patrol officers in the City of Greenfield.
In response to the Greenfield City Councilors’ decision to reduce the City’s police budget by $400,000 earlier this week, our Union requests Mayor Wedegartner to back our stance on City Council’s irresponsible vote. In that same vein, we are asking the citizens of Greenfield to support our efforts to prevent this political jockeying by directly contacting your city councilor and speaking out against their recent actions.
If the Council is successful in reducing the police budget by $400,000, up to eight members of the police department face termination – a nearly 25 percent reduction in force. To refer to these as “layoffs” of junior officers is simply erroneous. These officers face termination, even though they have done nothing wrong. A layoff generally occurs because of economic downturn. In this case, however, the city council is not making these cuts for financial reasons; they have made it clear that their motivations are purely political.
The city council’s vote comes on the heels of a jury verdict that found certain members of the police department to have discriminated against a former officer. To be absolutely clear, though, the officer’s currently facing termination had no connection to the underlying lawsuit. In fact, none of these officers were even employed by the police department when the events in question took place. Instead of focusing their efforts on those who were involved in the lawsuit, however, the city council has made the misguided decision to punish those who weren’t. This is not only irrational – it’s a shameful miscarriage of justice that is entirely politically motivated.
The Councilor’s response to the verdict in the discrimination case is nothing short of retaliatory, misplaced, and, quite frankly, reprehensible. The officers who face termination for no other reason than to be made an example of is similarly appalling. Ironically, these officers – consisting of one woman and one person of color – comprise much of the police department’s diversity. Despite this, the city council’s actions would seek to punish these officers for the purported infractions of others. Illogical does not come close to describing this outcome.
Please understand with these projected budget reductions, the police department will be forced to make potential, yet necessary, cuts in staffing and services to continue to respond to the approximate 35,000+ yearly calls for service. This has the potential to entail up to and including the following; dismemberment of the detective bureau, the entire overnight patrol staff [ZERO police coverage from 11:00pm – 7:00am], community resource officer(s), K-9 program, and comfort dog program. This means you, the citizens of Greenfield, will not be getting the response from specialty trained officers in unattended deaths, adult and juvenile sexual assaults, missing persons, financial crimes, narcotics and crime scene services. Additionally, K-9 tracking, detection and comfort dog services along with nearly all community outreach and mental health co-response programs will be ended.
On behalf of these blameless officers, their families, and all of you, we respectfully urge you to contact your city councilor and condemn their vote to reduce the police budget by $400,000. They can be reached here: https://greenfield-ma.gov/p/776/City-Council.
Thank you.
Greenfield Police Patrol Officers’ Association, MassCOP Local 470
Contact: Kathryn Scott City Clerk, Clerk to the City Council 413-772-1555 x6163 [email protected] Address: Clerk's
