05/15/2026
May 8, 2026
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Chief Craig Bailey, ECCOPA President, [email protected]
As President of the Essex County Chiefs of Police Association, and on behalf of our executive board and membership, I feel compelled to speak to the unintended consequences of recent legislative changes that are affecting public safety agencies across the Commonwealth, including here in Essex County.
The chiefs of Essex County understand and support the goals of recent Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission reform. These reforms were designed to strengthen accountability, professionalism, and public trust. However, one significant consequence was the elimination of reserve, or part-time, police officers. For decades, reserve officers provided critical support to communities throughout the Commonwealth. In smaller departments, especially, they served as a force multiplier—helping maintain staffing during vacations, illnesses, special events, emergencies, and other periods of increased demand. Their elimination removed an important operational tool from departments that were already working with limited personnel and resources.
In addition to the loss of reserve officers, legislative amendments to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 31 enacted on November 20, 2024, have created further challenges for municipalities, public safety agencies, and prospective police officers. These amendments were driven in part by the increasing number of departments filing home-rule petitions seeking relief from civil service hiring requirements.
Under the amended law, civil service police departments may now, using a five-year look-back, fill up to 50 percent of police officer vacancies from outside the civil service eligibility list, while the remaining 50 percent must still be filled from that list. Prior to this change, departments were required to hire exclusively from the civil service list. Officers hired outside that list nevertheless receive the full benefits, rights, and protections of employment within a civil service department.
While intended to provide flexibility for departments facing recruitment challenges, these changes have also intensified competition for a limited pool of qualified candidates. As the appeal of employment in civil service departments grows, smaller non-civil service agencies—already weakened by the loss of reserve officer support—are increasingly placed at a
Essex County Chiefs of Police Association
Est. 2000
disadvantage. Many smaller communities now face greater difficulty recruiting and retaining officers, reduced operational flexibility, and increased strain on the officers who remain. Chiefs are left trying to maintain staffing levels, meet growing service demands, and preserve public safety with fewer tools available to do so.
This is not simply an administrative challenge. It is a public safety issue. When smaller departments cannot fill vacancies, existing officers are stretched thinner, overtime costs increase, operational resilience declines, and the ability to respond effectively to community needs is diminished.
Public safety reform should strengthen our profession without unintentionally weakening the local departments that communities depend upon every day. As these changes continue to take effect, policymakers, municipal leaders, and public safety professionals must work together to identify practical solutions that preserve the goals of reform while ensuring departments of every size retain the staffing flexibility and operational capacity necessary to protect the public.
The Essex County Chiefs of Police Association believe that collaboration, communication, and community awareness are essential to public safety. We encourage residents to speak with their local police chief when considering whether to support or oppose specific legislation, and to ask what impact that legislation may have on their community.
We also respectfully ask that residents consider these realities before drawing conclusions about a department’s perceived inability to maintain staffing—particularly when comparing one community to a neighboring department that may be fully staffed. The staffing challenges facing police departments today are shaped not only by local management decisions, but also by broader legislative and structural changes affecting communities across the Commonwealth.
Respectfully Submitted,
Craig J. Bailey, President
Essex County Chiefs of Police Association
