NORTHFIELD — During a contentious discussion at Monday’s Selectboard meeting, Police Chief Robert Leighton said inadequate police facilities are to blame for the escape of a suspect earlier this month.
“Every chief in the last 40 years has asked for a police station, and what we’ve ended up with is whatever’s left over in the Town Hall,” Leighton said.
Selectboard Chairman Alex Meisner — who won a seat on the board over Leighton in 2018 — questioned Leighton about the escape and rearrest of Christopher Sheperd, 23, who was charged with resisting arrest, intimidation of a witness, malicious destruction of property, escape and providing false identification information to police.
According to Leighton, the Aug. 9 incident began at around 3 p.m., when a Northfield police officer spotted a man who matched the description of Sheperd, who was wanted for having an outstanding warrant. At that time, he gave police a fake name and attempted to flee, but was apprehended and taken to the Northfield Police Station within Town Hall.
“During the arrest, the officer sustained an injury,” Leighton said.
Leighton transported the injured officer to the hospital himself, leaving Sheperd with one other officer in the station. When asked why he drove the officer, instead of calling an ambulance, Leighton said there were facts that Meisner was unaware of — and he could not divulge — that led to the decision.
According to Leighton, Sheperd escaped the station at approximately 5:10 p.m., and he was advised of the situation shortly thereafter. Leighton said there was no violation of department policy leading to the escape; the suspect simply ran and beat the officer outside.
“Is it common practice to leave an already combative detainee alone with one officer in an already tactically insufficient police station?” Meisner asked.
Leighton said that, at the time, every officer who was available was assisting. He also noted that Sheperd showed no signs of continuing to be aggressive or allusive.
“With the space and facilities we have — which are deficient — we do the best we can with what we have,” Leighton said. “We’re using facilities of the Town Hall that are used by the staff of Town Hall, as well as the public. All of these concerns have been brought to the town time and time again.”
Leighton noted the number of other public safety facilities in the county that have secure cells or rooms to hold detainees. The Northfield station does not have any separate area to hold detainees. There are stations to handcuff suspects to the floor, but Leighton said the department “tries very hard to not treat people we arrest like animals,” adding that police try to allow detainees some mobility to use their right to a phone call or be fingerprinted.
Meisner asked Leighton if he blamed the Town Hall or the officer on duty for the escape. Leighton replied that the incident wouldn’t have happened if the Police Department had a “suitable” facility. Asked to clarify if he believed the facility was to blame, Leighton answered, “I know it was.”
After being alerted to the escape, Leighton contacted Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III to send a reverse 911 call, alerting Northfield residents of the escaped suspect. From the hospital, Leighton coordinated officer responses and called in police from surrounding towns to assist.
Upon returning to Northfield, Leighton said the parking lot at Town Hall was filled for a function at the Senior Center pavilion, forcing public safety officials to establish a command post at the Northfield Elementary School. Around 9 p.m., Sheperd was apprehended by civilians at the Northfield Golf Club. Police arrived and took Sheperd into custody.
Meisner asked if it is standard procedure to bring a suspect to the Northfield Police Station, or if police could have been brought Sheperd to the Franklin County House of Correction in Greenfield. According to Lt. Nick Carme at the House of Correction, the jail has a Regional Booking Office accessible to Northfield.
“This is our Police Station,” Leighton answered. “This is what the town has given us to work with and is what we make the best of.”
Selectman Heath Cummings, who has past experience in law enforcement, said he’d be willing to meet with Leighton to look into a new station. Leighton said the Emergency Services Building Committee has been in existence for 10 years, but the town has yet to approve plans for a new Police Station site.
Leighton noted the Sunderland Police Department — a full-time department in a larger community of roughly 3,600 residents — has made 74 arrests in 2019. Northfield, with just over 3,000 residents, has made 68 arrests.
“We are a busy department working in substandard conditions and, unfortunately this happened,” Leighton said. “I don’t know anywhere else in this county, maybe even the state, where a police department has to function with such poor conditions.”
A potential design for a new building, Leighton said, could include a sally port, a secure area where a cruiser can enter to transfer a prisoner through secure doors so they are never actually outside. The House of Correction and the Franklin County Justice Center in Greenfield both have sally ports.
Meisner ultimately agreed with the need for a police station, saying the town has grown to a point where it needs one.
“The Fire Station has it’s own building, the EMS has their own building, the Highway Department has their own building, we have two libraries in town, we — as a town — even provide a building for the Boy Scouts,” Leighton said.
Northfield resident Bernhard Porada spoke up after the officials’ discussion. He agreed the police facilities are inadequate, but accused Meisner of “improperly” handling the after-action discussion. Porada said that conversations questioning details in police policy and procedure should be done behind closed doors, not during public meetings.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 264.