Police Department Community Forum

Over twenty five attended the open forum meeting conducted by the National Accreditation Review Committee held at City Hall tonight from 7-8:30 pm. 95% positive/5% negative.

On the negative side, folks wanted to see increased cooperation with the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation. This is something I have been working with the Chief on during the past two years and we are making strides. We would like to see a full time detective assigned to the bureau this fall as the council provided the additional position last February.

Many were very complimentary of Chief Ervin's handling of the agency and the department in general. Some mentioned specific incidents where the officers were of great assistance. One negative was turned into a positive by the way the Chief stepped in and corrected a mishandled investigation to the satisfaction of the victim. It was very rewarding to hear this heart felt story told by the victims mother.

Several on the City Council were in attendance. These included Councilmen Cane, Clarke, and Morrison. I was in attendance as well. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes. From here, the comments will be evaluated and reviewed by other staff. The auditors will be in the area for two more days to check all aspects of the police department and their operations in our city.

National Accreditation is very difficult to achieve; particularly for departments of less than thirty officers. While the road is difficult, there is great pride in achieving this goal. Achieving National Accreditation status can also result in lower insurance premiums for local governments. That would be a great benefit to the city.