FITCHBURG — Local policing concerns were the topic of conversation earlier this week at a City Council Community Meeting Monday, with Police Chief Steven Giannini and Fitchburg State University Police Chief Michael Cloutier touting their working relationship and answering questions from the public.
The meeting was hosted by City Councilor Bernard Schultz.
Both Giannini and Cloutier talked about the positive relationship between the two police forces. At times Fitchburg State University police officers assist the city with calls if it’s a busy day, through mutual aid.
Cloutier pointed out the university has 21 officers protecting the campus, all of whom had completed the Police Academy and were fully certified Massachusetts police officers. He noted the university is planning a two-day active response training session in August to further improve the officers’ abilities to perform in a crisis and coordinate with emergency personnel and the city police and fire departments.
They also discussed how both forces train to be prepared to handle a potential large threat at the university, working out who will handle what tasks if such an incident were to occur.
“It’s seamless daily collaboration” between the two police forces, Cloutier said. And that, he said, “enhances public safety and makes Fitchburg a safe place to live and work.”
“Our partnership with the city of Fitchburg is based on a shared belief that we’re stronger together,” Cloutier said. “By aligning our 21 sworn officers, hosting joint training programs and working through public safety initiatives, we’re not just protecting the campus, we’re helping to enhance the safety of the entire community. … our commitment remains the same to ensure the city remains a secure and vibrant place for every resident, student and professional.”
Resident Jacqueline Wehtje said that was all well and good, but she felt the University uses a number of city services and should start to provide the city payment in lieu of taxes, like some other organizations do, to offset the cost of the services it uses, even though as an educational institution is does not have to pay taxes.
Cloutier said he would take that under advisement, and Schultz pointed out that, “It’s also a fact that Fitchburg State has many employees as well, so that’s something you might want to take into consideration.”
When asked what were some of the recent challenges in policing at Fitchburg State, Cloutier said, “One of the most pressing issues that we have seen post-pandemic is the mental wellness or well-being of our student population. We’ve seen a rise in mental health calls for service where students are struggling coping with moving away from home, the rigors of academic life and their place in society.
“So, we’ve collaborated with our counseling services office, some of the other departments on campus to provide them the best services possible.”
Giannini said he wanted to point out the good working relationship between the Fitchburg Police Department and the Fitchburg State University Police Department, thanking Cloutier for helping to keep it a cooperative arrangement.
“This is a partnership that I value very much,” Giannini said, “and it really brings me a lot of joy to see how well we work together now. It wasn’t always that way.”
Giannini pointed out the Fitchburg State officers have to take the same training that city officers do, “and they’re really an invaluable partner with us.”
Giannis said he was happy to announce that the scaffolding has finally been removed from outside the police station, saying problems with loose concrete and with the peaks of the building have been rectified.
He noted the city is going to add a locker room for female supervisors in the station, adding “we are so far above the national average when it comes to female officers, which is something that I think is great.”
He said there are 16 female officers out of 76 total officers, including multiple female supervisors.
Giannini said the city is in the process of hiring a dispatcher to get the dispatch center up to it’s full complement of 10 dispatchers.
He said there are three candidates starting the Police Academy in April, leaving four additional vacancies, that they hope to fill by summer.
He noted that the police were much more active in enforcing the snow ban this year.
“We’re doing more tows, we’re issuing more tickets,” Giannini said “… we’re not trying to take money out of people’s pockets, we’re trying to make the roads safe and trying to work hand-in-hand with the DPW to make sure they can make the roads clear and safe for everyone after the storm, especially when we talk about the type of snowfall, the amounts we got this year.”
Resident Hal Smith said that sidewalks not being plowed is a clear safety issue, forcing people to walk in the street, which was called dangerous.
Another concern voiced was about what the Fitchburg Police were doing to combat crime. Giannini noted that after a series of car break-ins officers were assigned to patrol those areas more regularly.
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