Overview:
The Greenfield Police Department has opened a new downtown substation in a former organic market storefront, providing a central location for law enforcement to connect with residents and strengthen community policing. The substation is equipped with a face-to-face camera doorbell, allowing those outside to speak with dispatchers, and has already proven useful for individuals without access to a phone. The new station has been well-received by the community, with Mayor Ginny Desorgher expressing her happiness that officers are engaging with residents on a daily basis.
GREENFIELD — Roughly a year after the Greenfield Police Department first began leasing the roughly 150-square-foot storefront at 205 Main St. with plans to develop a downtown substation, the miniature station is now up and running.
According to the Sgt. Megan Cloutier and Officer Zoe Smith, who are part of the department’s Community Impact Unit, the substation is making it easier to connect with downtown residents. Officers continue to use the 321 High St. station as the primary base of operations.
“It’s a nice place where we can go and we can be comfortable, get some respite ourselves, but also be immediately available to somebody. It’s much more welcoming; it is still a police station, but walking up to a police car is a much more difficult thing to do than to come over to the substation and knock on the door and ring the bell,” Smith said. “I’ve had quite a few people that have reported a hazardous condition, something like broken glass someplace or a traffic sign that is down — something that they weren’t going to go out of the way to report otherwise.”
Smith and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jake MacLeay have both occupied the substation since it opened two weeks ago. It formerly housed Benny’s Organic Market and underwent renovations to become the substation. Cloutier, who oversees the location, explained that its face-to-face camera doorbell allows those outside to speak with dispatchers from the door, and has already proven useful.
“There was a gentleman who does not have a phone, who was able to utilize the call box out there, which gets him directly to a video chat up at the Police Department, so he was able to get services,” Cloutier said. “That’s kind of the point — even if someone’s not in here, you still have a direct line up to the Police Station that is accessible downtown.”
Cloutier explained the Police Department has recently worked on strengthening its partnership with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. She said bringing MacLeay into the downtown space helps the two law enforcement agencies work in harmony with one another.
MacLeay, who serves as a business district liaison, added that an elderly woman approached the substation asking for directions a few days ago and, after a brief interaction, he was able to escort her to her destination. Like Smith, MacLeay said having a central location for law enforcement allows police to help the community with issues they would not otherwise report.
“Some of these residents have already built a rapport with working through the Sheriff’s Department, so coming out here, it’s just made an easy match,” MacLeay said. “We’re not trying to be invasive. We’re just trying to strengthen our community policing and just be out, seeing if anybody needs anything or has any questions.”
Smith explained that police typically interact with members of the public on their worst days, but by bringing officers downtown, where they can interact with the public on “good days,” she hopes the substation will build an added level of trust and familiarity with Greenfield Police.
Mayor Ginny Desorgher, who stopped by the substation to chat with officers Friday afternoon, echoed these remarks, saying she is beyond pleased with the new downtown station.
“I could not be happier that these wonderful folks are downtown,” Desorgher said. “They are out there on a daily basis, engaging with our neighbors and friends. Whether it’s in a business or a library or in any of the parks, I’m hearing an overwhelming positive response, which I also feel in my own heart, that we have a police presence downtown.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.