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Police presentation to Selectboard 5/6/2024

Posted on: May 7, 2024 - 4:00pm

POLICE OPERATIONS SPEECH GIVEN ON MAY 6, 2024 AT THE MARSHFIELD SELECTBOARD MEETING

Presented by Chief Phillip A. Tavares

 

This year there was not a single grievance filed by the Police Union.  This marks 29 straight years without a grievance and is due partly, in my opinion, to our unique hiring process and the supportive work environment we create.  In addition to the lack of grievances, there has been no abuse of sick time, no MCAD complaints, and no ethics complaints filed against the Police Department.  The Police Union worked with our administration allowing us to stay within budget.  We also billed out and collected 100% of all details.  A 10% surcharge is added to all private details and that goes directly to the General Fund.  This year the surcharge generated last year was $68,317.77 in revenue for the Town. 

Safe Community

I am pleased to report that last year the Town of Marshfield was ranked 4th safest community in the entire country by Safe Neighborhood Scout, a division of Location Inc.  This was based on raw crime data provided by the FBI.  For the last ten (10) years in a row, we have been in the top 79th safest communities in the USA.  The last seven years, we have been in the top fourteen (14) safest communities in the United States of America.

 

The Marshfield Police Department has been long in front of the curve when it comes to development and implementation of police policies and procedures designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens we protect.  We thoroughly embrace the six pillars of the principles embodied in the final report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and remain committed to professional conduct, democratic policing and procedural justice for all people.  Additionally, we voluntarily joined the National Use of Force Database run by the FBI to better collect and analyze data.

Training

The Department is currently working towards certification with the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).  Massachusetts is one of only 30 States which offer this certification, which is strictly voluntary and requires a department to adhere to 159 professional standards, covering all aspects of policing, considered to be “best practices” in law enforcement.   The Department is in the “self-assessment” phase which requires the Department to thoroughly examine its current policies and practices and updates them, when needed, to meet the MPAC standards.  A large part of this is to train all officers on all the new policies.  Once self-assessment is complete, an external peer review by the Commission will confirm the Department is meeting those standards. (July 15-17) Certification will provide Town residents with even greater accountability and professionalism and is another example of the Department’s commitment to providing the very best service to our community.  

 

Unfunded Mandates - 2020, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST-C) was established to provide justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement.  POST-C responsibilities include oversight of complaint and disciplinary issues, the establishment of minimum standards for employment and certifying that current officers meet those standards.  The Department has diligently fulfilled every POST-C requirement and, in accordance with the schedule established by POST-C, two thirds of the Department’s Officers have already completed the certification process with the last third slated to be finished by June 2024.  Additionally, all officers completed the annual in-service training.

Use of Force Report

We monitor every single time any type of force is used beyond compliant handcuffing.  A use of force team meets and reviews every case to determine if they acted within the law and policies and procedures.  

2023 Use of Force

  • 94 total Arrest- 9 uses of force
  • 11 total Protective Custody- 0 uses of force
  • 34 total Section 12/35- 8 uses of force

Total of 17 uses of force

 

  • 17 Total uses of force- Admin review 100% In compliance with Dept policy

 

  • Use of force during arrests/P.C. has gone down

 

  • Use of force during mental health has gone up slightly

 

  • Saturdays had the highest number of use of force incidents

 

  • 47% of the time force was used, alcohol/drugs were involved

 

  • Race breakdown- 1 black, 16 white

 

  • Gender breakdown- 4 females, 13 males

 

  • Physical force was used all 17 times.  2 O.C/ 3 ECW (display only)

 

  • 3 officers were injured (minor) and 4 suspects were injured (minor)

Court

We are seeing an increase in summonses for Officers to attend court cases years old.  We are currently working with the DAs office on 2 separate murder cases involving 3 victims.

Evidence/Property

In May of 2023, we hired Pomeroy Resources Inc to perform a fully on-site Evidence and Property review.  All Audits revealed a well-organized system with very competent evidence personnel.  In June, we are scheduled for another on-site Audit.

De-escalation

Under POST, officers are required to spend significantly longer periods of time on scene exhausting all options to de-escalate situations.  There has been a large increase in the amount of mental health cases we are responding to and requiring spending more time on scene and with follow up services.  The Marshfield Police Department is involved with the PCO HUB.   The HUB is a partnership with Plymouth County Outreach which provides Behavioral Health Services to residents of Plymouth County.   The HUB brings together Law Enforcement, Mental Health Professionals and other necessary resources to provide services for Plymouth County residents who are dealing with Mental Health Issues.   When we respond to a mental health related call, the involved party is supplied with mental health resources or referred to the HUB for a follow up visit.   When Detective Davis performs an in-person follow-up visit along with professionals from the HUB, services are provided including counseling and treatment options.

Mental Health

Since May 6, 2023, we have responded to 544 Mental Health/ Well Being Checks. The number of responses for well-being checks and mental health related calls was most likely higher, however they would have been reclassified as sudden deaths, overdoses, protective custody or arrests based on their outcomes.

 

Detective Greg Davis and Sergeant Liam Rooney are involved with Plymouth County Outreach (PCO) which is a collaboration of the 27 municipal police departments in Plymouth County.  We work together to make treatment available to residents dealing with substance abuse issues and provide support for their families.  When a person overdoses in Marshfield or a Marshfield resident overdoses in another town, we coordinate with Plymouth County Outreach and prepare an in-person outreach visit at their home.  During the visit, Detective Davis arrives in plain clothes along with an Outreach Specialist.  They offer treatment to the victim and also provide information on how to seek help at a later time if they decline treatment during the visit.  They are also provided Narcan Kits and “Harm Reduction Kits” when necessary.

 

Our licensed mental health counselor Jenna Cohen has been with us for one year now.  We were fortunate to have her salary paid for by a reoccurring grant.  She has been a tremendous asset to our Team and has helped lots of residents.  She has had 268 interactions in Marshfield resulting in 13 section 12s, and she has diverted 36 people from hospitalization.

 

Beach Patrols

In the past, we received reports of out-of-town kids causing trouble at Green Harbor Beach.  This beach is very busy and requires a constant police presence to reduce and prevent the number of complaints/ problems.  Officers are assigned to patrol all of our beaches to keep them safe.  This patrol is around the clock both day and night.  Last weekend we broke up a beach party with a fire and 50 kids scattered.

 

Active Shooter Training

The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association released a 114-page School Security – A Best Practice Guide.  In response, we created a new Active Shooter Policy that calls for new procedures on how to enter warm zone with a rescue team consisting of both police officers and fire fighters.  This was designed to save more lives by treating victims while the contact team locates the threat and stops it.  Each officer completed 16 hours of training on the new policy.

 

Parades and Major Events

As a result of lessons learned around the country, there is a need to increase safety and security during these events.  This results in more officers and plans developed to minimize the result of a bad actor.

 

High Tech Crimes

The Marshfield Police Detective Division continues to have the forensic capabilities to access, extract and examine high tech devices (cell phone/computers).  This expertise has enabled our investigators to discover evidence as it relates to high tech and traditional crimes.  The Detective Division has also utilized their capabilities to analyze cell phone data which has led to the discovery of missing and/or endangered individual.  

Narcotic Cases

The Marshfield Police Detective Division continues to work within the OCPAC (Old Colony Police Anti-Crime Task Force) group and several Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.  During the past year, the Marshfield Police Detectives Division, OCPAC, and the DEA investigated numerous cases involving the trafficking of Fentanyl and, crack cocaine, and most recently the outbreak in counterfeit pressed pills which often contain fentanyl.  Most disturbing about the manufacturing and selling of pressed pills (Fentanyl) is that they are often sold as commonly prescribed prescriptions such as Adderall and Xanax.  Many of these unsuspecting buyers have overdosed and, in some cases, unfortunately did not survive the consumption.  The investigative processes included, but were not limited to numerous man hours conducting surveillance, participating in UC/CI drug purchases, telephone and social media warrants, and making lawful arrests.

The Marshfield Police Department continues to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), drug take back initiative, and receives on average approximately 500 pounds of unwanted prescription medications yearly.  This participation has minimized these medications from being discarded in our landfills, water systems and lessens the possibility of the noted prescription medications from getting in the wrong hands.

 

The Marshfield Police is part of the Human Trafficking Task Force Subcommittee.  The purpose of this subcommittee is to share information, investigative tips, prosecution updates, case updates and more as well as allow departments to come together to not only share information but to also work collaboratively on investigations that overlap among various jurisdictions.  The goal is to have representatives from all departments within Plymouth County, as well as support from State Police and Federal Law Enforcement.  The subcommittee meets on a monthly basis.

EOC

We are currently working on updated security and traffic plans for the Levitate Festival this coming July.  In April, we had CISA (Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency) conduct a table top exercise related to a scenario at the festival.  This exercise displayed a number of issues that we handle very well and a few where we can improve upon.

We continue to work on our nuclear preparedness plans and we are currently in the process of getting together with Dr. Thompson to update our CEMP (community emergency management plan) for 2024.  We will be including the Fire, DPW, Schools and Town Hall on this planning as well.

Sgt. Gonsalves and Lt. Shaw will be going over the bullet proof vest grant prior to the deadline in June for submission.  Any new officers or officers who have expired vests will be receiving new ones and hopefully we will get a 50% reimbursement from the grant for these.

We are working with Officer Dimeo on the annual COPS grant we submit for.  We will be seeking a grant for more officers as our population continues to grow, as does our calls for service.

We have completed the annual 911 grants and we have received the first two of three components from this grant for the training and support and incentive.  We await word on the EMD grant which was delayed this year but is in now and on time.

We have recouped hundreds of thousands over the past few months from storms in 2015 and 2022.  We are still pursuing damages and reimbursements from FEMA for 2015 and 2018 storms related to sea wall damage.

Our SROs continue to do a fantastic job at the schools and participate in numerous after school activities including attending plays, games, parent / teacher conferences etc.  They truly have become a member of the school community. This school year officer Heron received an award from the school department for performing the Heimlich maneuver to save a choaking middle school student.  Last Friday was High Five Friday where officers went to all the schools and greeted them on their way into School. 

With summer approaching, we will remind all liquor serving establishments of their responsibilities and our expectations of them.  This year all the establishments were participating in the “designate driver” program.  We are working on a presentation to give the owners/managers of bars/restaurants around the holidays and prior to summer.

We continue to work closely with Eversource and Verizon to ensure our power issues are addressed as rapidly and safely as possible during natural disasters.  The past few winters we have a couple of minor issues that I believe were addressed sufficiently with in person meetings with Eversource, Verizon, DPW, Schools, Fire Dept, and Town Hall.  We have a new notification system that Detective Goodwin and Lt. Shaw are working to update with more numbers in order to alert citizens of emergencies.  This system is owned by the town and is called RAVE. We also have the reverse 911 system to fall back in case of emergency.

The emergency operations center has effectively been utilized for numerous trainings, exercises and meetings over the past year.  We anticipate summer being very busy with July 4th followed immediately by Levitate on July 5, 6, and 7th and then a short break before the Fair starts.  We have been planning since January for these events and will be as well prepared as possible.  We have submitted letters to both the Massachusetts State Police and the ABCC requesting assistance with bomb technicians and dogs (MSP) and Alcohol Compliance Checks (ABCC) during the Levitate Festival.

The MPD is part of the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (MetroLEC).  It is a regional mutual aid facilitator formed by 48 police departments.  The Marshfield Police Department is a member agency.  We pool resources to provide SWAT, canine, hostage negotiation, computer crimes, motorcycle, bicycle, special maritime response unit, peer support, and other units to each other.   

The Safety Net program assists law enforcement with locating individuals whom tend to wander due to medical conditions such as Autism or Alzheimer’s disease.  These free services include tracking devices bracelet affixed to the patient’s wrist.   Detective Goodwin and SRO Officer Cleary were certified through the FAA to operate unmanned aircraft systems (U.A.S.).  The Detective Division currently has two available drones, one of which is equipped with FLIR/Thermal Imaging Technology.  We have had several drone deployments for the purpose of search and rescue and security purposes.

We will continue to enhance our Community Policing efforts.  We had the dedication of the benches at the Police Station for two young boys who lost their lives to cancer. This year we raised approximately $125,000 for Cops for Kids with Cancer.  We participate with the Boys and Girls Club, sporting events and other events all around Town.

 

Our Animal Control Operation

Continues to offer 6 day a week service in addition to on call availability to assist residents in emergency situations when they arise.  Our shelter is still a "no kill" shelter and with the help of the Friends of Marshfield Animal Shelter non-profit we are able to vet, board and eventually adopt all domestic animals that we temporarily house there. 

Our staff of two full-time Animal Control Officers handle day-to- day calls for service and shelter maintenance with the help of the dedicated volunteers.  Our shelter is currently being painted inside and out with some repairs to the kennel fencing on the horizon. 

Our Animal Inspectors finished all barn inspections throughout last fall and winter and continue to quarantine animals year-round and report back to the state.   We are glad to report that no domestic or even wildlife animal that was quarantined and/or tested was positive for rabies this year so far or last year.  Our Animal Inspectors are continuously updating our barn inspections list with new properties that have livestock that require inspection. 

The Marshfield Beaches

Operation is gearing up for another summer. We have hired back our returning employees as well as our new employees. 

This Friday, beach sticker sales will move from Town Hall to Rexhame parking lot for the season.  Our operation starts Memorial Day weekend weather depending with lot attendants, lifeguards on the beach and the snack bar open each weekend and then 7 days a week in mid-June. 

Along with that, our work crew has begun installing the mobi-mats for beach access and handicap access to prepare for the beach weather.   As we prepare our beach areas, we continue to collaborate with the state ensuring that no piping plover habitat is disturbed.

Harbormaster

To date the Harbormaster has received $5,817,121.00 in grant funding. In addition, he was able to secure over one million in surplus government property.  He has also just applied for a 7.1 million grant for Port Infrastructure.  We are awaiting award notices.

Green Harbor State Boat Ramp Project:

  1. The contractor completed the last waterside piling this morning. DONE!
  2. They are scheduled to walk the equipment off of the barge this afternoon, so that they can complete the 2 remaining pilings landside near the Southside of the ramp. DONE!
  3. As of today, paving is scheduled for May 13th. This may change if the pile work gets done sooner.
  4. The docks are scheduled for a late may arrival and should be installed in relatively quick fashion (1 day). 
  5. Once the work barge is moved, we will slide the skiff dock back into place. 
  6. The barge will leave the harbor once all needed equipment has been removed. BARGE is GONE!

Green Harbor New Commercial Boom:

  1. The new commercial boom is in the process of being fabricated. 
  2. We also met with the MCFA president and a few other fishermen 2 weeks ago to look at modifications of the existing North pier boom. 
  3. We will also be installing a new galvanized ladder near the south pier boom. 

Green Harbor Jetty Project:

  1. The USACE is still conducting the internal review process. 
  2. I'm hoping over the next few months they will provide a comment feedback meeting on the current process and projected outcomes, so that residents are informed.

Green Harbor Dredging:

  1. We are still awaiting a decision on when and whom will be dredging the shoaled area of the harbor entrance. There is approx. 1200 cubic yards to remove. 
  2. The USACE did survey last week. I am awaiting this survey. Some folks have said the entrance channel has some shoaling conditions. If the survey does show any shoaling, it would be included for removal along with the remaining 1200 cubic yards. 

Ridge Road Boat Ramp Project:

  1. The Ridge Road boat ramp project was supported at town meeting last Monday night. We will continue with the permitting process.
  2. I will be posting a public meeting on site of the boat ramp on Tuesday May 7th @5pm to seek public comment and to garner any suggestions from residents on the project. 

Line painting was also completed last weekend in the lot.

 

Damon's Point Dock Project:

  1. At Town meeting last Monday night, the Damon's Point docks were supported.  We will prepare a bid package to get the docks replaced as soon as we can.  Further permitting of the Damon's Point project will continue. 

 

Northeast bluefin showdown tournament June 26th-30th. 2024:

  1. The Northeast bluefin showdown tournament has permission to use Green Harbor as an official weigh station for June 26-30th.  At this time, there are 40 boats registered from Portland Maine to the Cape.  Marshfield is just one of 3 weigh-in stations.   
  2. The tuna fish will be weighed from the usual tuna trucks that off load in Green Harbor.
  3. This tournament is also supported by the Matt Light foundation.  Maybe will be see retired NE Patriots player #72 in Green Harbor.  

North/South River Shellfish beds:

  1. We will be conducting a shellfish propagation project for the North/South rivers again sometime in June/July based on shellfish availability. 

Free Safe Boater Courses:

  1. We completed the first safe boater course last week April 22nd. 25th. & 26th.  We had 43 students in the class.  The next class is May 13th, 15th, 17th.  All classes are held in the Maritime Center training room.

This year marked my thirty-six (36) years working for the Town of Marshfield.  I am extremely thankful to the Town Administrator and Selectboard for their support to continuing our long-standing tradition of providing professional police services.