STATE POLICE ASSOCIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS
REPRESENTING SERGEANTS AND TROOPERS
OF THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE
550 WORCESTER ROAD . FRAMINGHAM MASSACHUSETTS 01702-5305 . TEL 508 620-8985. FAX 508 620-7668
JOHN P. COFLESKY. PRESIDENT
RICHARD R. BROWN. VICE PRESIDENT
PAUL E. CESAN. TREASURER
DAVID P. CORTESE, SECRETARY
Dear Local Official,
I am writing to you on behalf of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, the union
representing approximately 2000 troopers and sergeants of the Massachusetts state
Police. We are very concerned about the regionalization trend among many local police
departments.
Some local agencies have been subscribing to law enforcement councils (LECs). These
groups are largely a product of the recent upswing in homeland security grant monies,
and portray themselves as regional police agencies, that are designed to "fill the gaps" in
law enforcement presence in Massachusetts.
Unfortunately, they are based on a premise built on exaggeration and falsehoods. As you
should know, the MSP exists to provide many varied law enforcement services to each
and every municipality in the state, including STOP (i.e., SWAT) team, hostage
negotiators, AirWing, K-9, Accident Reconstruction, and many others. These specialty
units work in conjunction with - and do not replace- local police management at any
given scene, and have always been available at no charge to any city or town requesting
their services.
When towns subscribe to the LECs, they are duplicating services that are already paid for
by your local taxpayers. It makes no sense to spend large amounts of local tax dollars
budgeted for local law enforcement on groups that merely exist to take local officers out
of their given city or town. When your police officers participate in the LEC activity,
they leave your community. You then pay overtime to officers to replace the LEC
participants or you experience a reduction in public safety coverage for the citizens of
your community. The end result of this scenario results in fewer local police officers on
the streets, higher local taxes for unnecessary duplication of services, and vastly
increased liability costs for officers who will become involved in situations that result in
litigation. Many local leaders would have difficulty justifying the enormous expenditure
to defend the municipality from a civil suit, for an action that did not even occur in the
community. Add to that the precarious uncertainties of having officers respond far
outside their legal jurisdiction in private vehicles, and you have a real recipe for legal and
financial disaster.
We urge you to examine this issue closely; determine the true and total cost of local
dollars spent on these groups, and seek to find out why others are trying to duplicate
services already provided at no charge at the state level. If you have any questions, or
need any further information, we would be pleased to provide it. Please contact us at any
time.
Sincerely,
John Coflesky - President
David Cortese - Secretary
[Download Original Letter in PDF format]
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