NEW SALEM — The town invites the public for discussion about the Police Future Committee survey at Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Four surrounding police chiefs were invited during the summer of 2021 to discuss options regarding police department regionalization, according to a press release from Selectboard member Hugh Mackay. The discussion included regionalizing New Salem’s Police Department with a surrounding community, maintaining the current department with part-time staff, or developing a long-term plan to expand the existing department.
The Police Future Committee was formed out of those discussions and a five-member board was appointed to review policing needs and options for the future.
The committee — which will not be the deciding body regarding the future of the New Salem Police Department — has developed and will distribute a survey to residents, the press release explains. The public is invited to join a discussion, directed by the town moderator, in the Town Hall basement on Wednesday.
The committee has developed two ways for the public to complete the survey to gain as much public feedback as possible, the release states. A written survey will be sent to all residents, with the request that they be returned by May 15. Residents may mail the survey to Town Administrator Kathy Neal, 19 South Main St., New Salem, MA 01355 or drop it off at the New Salem Public Library. An online version is available at bit.ly/3MjcEpz.
The Police Future Committee will make the information available to the Selectboard once the surveys and public comments are collected.