Overview:
The Montague Police Department is no longer facing a staffing crisis after hiring two new officers, bringing its roster to 17 out of 18 patrol officers. The department had been short-staffed, which had impacted officer assignments and led to overtime. The new hires, Brandon Bryant and Josh Lemay, bring experience from other local departments.
MONTAGUE — Following a string of new hires at the Montague Police Department, Police Chief Jason Haskins said the staffing crisis has subsided, as the roster is nearly full.
Since the start of 2026, the department has gained two new officers, Brandon Bryant from the Erving Police Department and Josh Lemay from Greenfield, though a third hire that would fill the 18-person roster fell through. With 17 patrol officers on staff and interviews slated to fill this remaining position, this brings the department out of a shortage.
“Being three short in a department this size, it’s a lot,” Haskins said, noting that hiring was a goal of his early tenure with the Montague Police Department. “It’s pretty critical staffing. It forces a lot of overtime.”
According to Haskins, due to the staffing shortages, the overtime budget for the fiscal year is “around 90% spent.” He anticipates the department “will likely go over the budget.” The overtime budget for fiscal year 2026 is $150,000.
Bryant comes to Montague from the Erving Police Department with five years of full-time law enforcement experience. He also brings experience with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Anti-Crime Task Force, which helps member departments in Franklin and Hampshire counties identify, investigate and prosecute drug and firearm offenses, gang-related crimes, human trafficking, major crimes and other organized illegal activity.
Lemay joins Montague after having served in several regional departments since 2010, with his longest tenure spent in Greenfield as a patrol officer and then detective. He also served in Colrain as a patrol officer and in Montague as a reserve officer. Haskins and Lemay were colleagues in their previous roles at the Greenfield Police Department.
The staffing shortage had impacted officer assignments in town. Former Montague Police Chief Christopher Williams reported last February that the department was short three patrol officers, with two additional officers out on leave at the time. Amid the lack of officers, Gill-Montague Regional School District School Resource Officer Dan Miner was called back to full-time patrol service last February.
Efforts to recruit and retain officers for the Montague Police Department had been underway before Haskins came on board in November, with Williams working with the town to offer a $10,000 sign-on bonus for certified officers in September 2024.
According to the police hiring website PoliceApp, the open Montague patrol officer role is an entry-level position with a salary ranging from $59,280 to $79,227, based on experience. Certified and academy-trained officers are eligible for the $10,000 sign-on bonus.
Haskins explained that having a full patrol staff is important for a number of reasons, including to handle officer responsibilities outside of just responding to calls for service. He said some patrol officers are involved in special regional units, traffic details and investigations that require time outside of their primary responsibilities.
Additionally, Haskins said having a nearly full staff allows his officers to maintain a greater presence within the community — one of his goals as chief.
“My goal and my directive has been getting out and into the community and visiting and being part of the community,” he said, noting how he and other officers have attended events like the Boston Pone cane ceremony in December honoring the town’s oldest resident, and led a discussion on identity theft at the Gill-Montague Senior Center.
Haskins said internal upgrades are also underway within the department, like a new scheduling program and record-keeping software, which officers are in the process of learning. He said having a modernized department in technology and policy will help officers maintain a greater community presence.
“The focus has been getting us more relevant with technology, and hopefully, that will translate to efficiency, so we can then open ourselves up for even more time dealing and working with our community,” he said.
Once the patrol officer roster has found its last new hire, Haskins said he will appoint internal candidates to the department’s vacant lieutenant and detective positions.
“My goal is to fill those three police officer spots. Patrol is my No. 1 priority,” Haskins said. “We have to have boots on the ground, then moving forward, then you fill those positions.”