State board OK’s reduced training
By Michael Norton
The Boston Globe
BOSTON — A state board has voted to close regional police training academies in Boylston, New Bedford, and Plymouth and reduce the amount of training municipal officers and recruits receive, prompting the head of a police chiefs’ group to declare a “crisis.”
The training reductions and academy closings, expected over the next 90 days under a plan approved this week by the Municipal Police Training Committee, address about half of a $600,000 budget problem, according to Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.
“Without any question, there is a crisis in police training throughout the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Sampson said. “And the budget cuts recommended so far are only the beginning.”
The news comes as Governor Deval Patrick, nearly halfway through his term, appears unlikely to hit his goal of 1,000 new police officers on the street by the end of 2010, barring a sudden infusion of new officers.
State officials say they plan to keep pursing their mission of delivering meaningful police training for municipal officers, but caution that police and recruits may wait longer for training or need to travel longer distances to get it.
The New Bedford facility provides “in service” training to existing officers; the Boylston and Plymouth facilities targeted for closing are designated primarily for police recruits.
Recruit training facilities in Randolph, Reading, and Springfield are not affected under current budget management plans, according to Terrel Harris, spokesman for the Executive Office of Public Safety, but, Harris cautioned, “It’s safe to say there are more cuts to come.”
The committee next meets on Sept. 4.
Meeting in Wellesley yesterday, the executive board of the police chiefs’ association voted to recommend suspending all municipal police training until there is an “adequate” police training funding strategy in place.
Sampson said the police chiefs planned to discuss the issue today with Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray.
Copyright 2008 The Boston Globe