MONTAGUE — A community policing pilot program is getting $5,000 from the Community Development Discretionary Fund following majority approval by the Selectboard.
Police Chief Jason Haskins told the Selectboard on Monday about his goals of establishing a greater community presence, something he put forward during his interview process to become chief last year. His request for a one-time allocation of $5,000 to establish a community policing pilot program was largely met with support from the Selectboard, passing with a 2-1 vote after member Nate Card expressed his desire to see more specific details about the thought process in assembling the proposal.
The goal behind the one-time allocation is to fund startup resources that would allow the department to “expand positive community engagement opportunities and strengthen relationships between police officers and the residents we serve,” according to a memo Haskins prepared for the board. The $5,000 would go toward buying community event supplies and public outreach materials; equipment and supplies to support community policing activities; and promotional items for giveaways at events, among others.
Some examples Haskins mentioned include acquiring a Montague Police Department banner that could be used at events, or purchasing candy for the upcoming Rag Shag Parade or other trick-or-treating events.
“My goal would be to hopefully use and move some funds around in the future budget so we can sustain this,” Haskins told the Selectboard about future funding needs.
Before moving around funding in the department’s next annual budget, Haskins’ memo states there will be an evaluation of the community policing pilot program’s success. Its success could be measured by participation levels at events and the impact of these community policing activities.
Card told Haskins he appreciates the initiative to increase community engagement, but he felt there were questions he wanted answered before authorizing the funding. Card voiced a desire to know more about how the $5,000 figure was established, exactly what would be purchased, along with more specificity on how a successful pilot program would be measured. Additionally, he wondered if pulling from existing town resources could accomplish the department’s goals.
“I would like to see those accounted for before I personally would sign on to this budget,” Card said, “and I want to support this, but those are concerns that I have before I’m ready to approve that.”
Selectboard Vice Chair Marina Goldman and Chair Richard Kuklewicz both approved of the one-time allocation, with Goldman noting that, in her experience in community outreach, $5,000 “doesn’t go very far.” She noted that even a banner to identify the Police Department will be expensive.
Haskins told Card he understands where he’s coming from, noting that the $5,000 is “a little bit arbitrary,” but that it’s a small amount. According to the transfer request, using $5,000 from the Community Development Discretionary Fund for the pilot program would bring the account down from $93,217 to $88,217.
To a point made by Kuklewicz about tracking the funding and wanting to make sure the program is sustainable, Haskins said having an account with dedicated funding would let the department track what is being used. He provided an example of funding repairs for patrol bicycles using a general repair and equipment budget that could come from a community policing budget, same with the National Night Out event in August, which cost less than $1,000 and was paid for by the police association.
