By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

The reorganization, expansion and modernization of the Somerville Police Department has been a long, drawn-out process – and we still have plenty to do. Still, the Board of Aldermen’s vote on July 17 to take two Deputy Chief of Police positions out of civil service has to be seen as the finishing touch on a long series of interlocking changes that has fundamentally transformed the department and prepared it for the 21st Century.

By itself, this change seems relatively minor – almost technical. We haven’t even used the deputy chief position in the past two decades: the SPD’s captains have reported directly to the Chief. Under the terms of the final version of this proposal (as approved by the Aldermen in a 10-1 vote), the two new deputy chiefs will be selected from the ranks of Somerville’s current captains.  So what’s the big deal about two police captains getting new titles, salaries and responsibilities? The answer is that this change was made necessary by a long string of prior changes that together add up to give Somerville a better equipped, better staffed, better managed and better deployed Police Department.

To understand how far the Department has come under former Acting Chief Bob Bradley and current chief Anthony Holloway, it’s essential to understand where we were when I first took office in January 2004. The SPD, like the rest of city government, had suffered from budget cuts caused by major cutbacks in state aid to cities and towns, but the police force was also operating under a series of outmoded procedures and rules that were affecting morale, productivity and performance. Officers were assigned on the basis of political boundaries rather than focusing on where crime actually occurred and, under collective bargaining rules, patrol officers got to choose their shifts on the basis of seniority rather than serving in personnel plans designed by command staff.  The department’s equipment was old and its training programs weren’t up to statewide standards.

The men and women of the Somerville Police worked hard to do as much as they could to perform well in the face of these challenges but it was clear that they – and the public – deserved better.

That is why, in March of 2004, I asked former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to convene a special advisory group to review every aspect of police organization, training and operations in Somerville.  The group he assembled included not only representatives of the Somerville community, but also top-flight law enforcements experts, including the commander of the Massachusetts State Police, Colonel Thomas Robbins, and Lowell Chief of Police Edward F. Davis III.  (Robbins now commands the B.U. Police and Ed Davis is Boston’s Police Commissioner).

In September 2005, when the Advisory Group issued its report, it made a number of specific recommendations:
1.    Invest in current police force through updated training, equipment, vehicles, and facilities.
2.    Publish updated policies and procedures and a Police Duty Manual.
3.    Move to a team or geographic command based policing structure.
4.    Develop a hiring and promotion plan.
5.    ‚ÄúCivilianize‚Äù positions that do not require police training.
6.    Eliminate daily seniority picks.
7.    Establish internal ‚ÄúStat‚Äù meetings.
8.    Remove the position of Chief of Police from Civil Service. (The Advisory Group also added, ‚ÄúFor the same reasons that having an appointed Chief is critical to reform, the SPD’s organizational structure should allow for the Chief’s appointment of one or more exempt deputies, so that managers can be selected on merit and be held accountable for their performance‚Äù).

Three years and two new labor contracts later – and with crucial assistance of officers at every rank and the leadership of our Aldermen – these changes have all been achieved.  Our officers have new weapons, new vests, new radios, new cruisers, and a stepped-up training schedule that keeps them current on the latest techniques and equipment.  We have ‚Äúcivilianized‚Äù half a dozen positions, added 12 net new officers and moved to a geographically based community policing model with two substations for added visibility and reduced response time in East and West Somerville. We have the first Police Chief in Somerville history to be recruited through a professional search that included outstanding candidates from outside the SPD – and I think it’s fair to say that Chief Holloway has gotten off to a very strong start. And thanks to the Board’s latest action, Chief Holloway will have two deputies of his own choosing and directly accountable to him (and to the Board) for their performance.

The bottom line on police reorganization in Somerville is that it has taken us this long to fulfill the Advisory Group’s recommendations precisely because those recommendations were so comprehensive and wide-ranging. We have needed the participation and   leadership of multiple partners, and the support of our legislative delegation to obtain state approval for some of the crucial steps.

In particular, this positive transformation of one of our city’s most important and visible agencies is due to the vision, persistence and follow-through of our Board of Aldermen.  As an alderman, I have had plenty of battles with past mayors and, as mayor, I have had more than a few fights with the Board – but the police reorganization effort will stand as a monument to what can happen when we work together.