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COLRAIN — In light of new police training requirements that indirectly impact small towns’ ability to staff their departments with part-time officers, the Police Department is considering changing its employment structure.
In an early conversation, Police Chief Christopher Lannon presented multiple options to the Selectboard this week. Town Administrator Kevin Fox said the board will likely make a decision on whether and how to change the Police Department’s structure by the end of 2022.
Under the police reform legislation, called “An Act Relative to Justice, Equity and Accountability in Law Enforcement in the Commonwealth,” that was signed into law in 2020, the Bridge Academy’s mandatory training has ceased part-time officer training, and requires all officers to receive full-time training. Many police departments cannot afford to pay the cost of fully training new police officers, and cannot pay competitive wages of already fully trained cops. This change has led many towns, especially in rural areas with small budgets, to reconsider the structure of their departments.
Currently, the Police Department has one 30-hour-per-week chief’s position, and three part-time officers each working 16 hours weekly. Changes the department is considering include hiring a full-time officer, shifting to a full-time chief (who would work 40 hours instead of 30 hours) or a combination of the two. Another option would entail changing wages to...
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