Somerville Police Chief David Fallon recently looked back on his first year as head of the Department, and reflected on its policies, goals and achievements.

By Josie Grove

Over the last year, police departments have been under intense public scrutiny after a series of high-profile instances of police violence and community protest. This month marks the grim anniversaries of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The last year was also David Fallon’s first as Somerville Police Chief. The Somerville Times asked Chief Fallon to discuss his approach to policing in the context of national controversy about the role of police.

Somerville Times: Has the national attention on police misconduct changed the way you do your job? What has your department done to prevent police violence in Somerville?

Chief Fallon: No person or group of people should ever feel disenfranchised or mistreated by their police department. We receive our authority directly from the people, and the people should feel that they have properly placed their trust and faith in us.

The events of the past few years have strengthened my belief that police need to continue to engage the communities they serve in a positive and productive manner. We need to be a part of the community, not just an enforcement arm. Every day, the men and women of the Somerville Police Department are out there in the community working to send a message that we are all part of the same community. We operate in an atmosphere of trust and inclusiveness.

In Somerville, we have also developed and issued policies to prevent bias. We invest in de-escalation training, as well as specific mental health crisis intervention training, which teaches officers how to engage to prevent a mental health situation from escalating and to connect these individuals to needed services, rather than into the criminal justice system.

These are just a few steps, but it really starts at the hiring process. We strive to ensure we hire officers that reflect the community, are good decision makers, and have a community policing mindset.

ST: One of the Somerville Police Department’s most visible projects this year has been the Walking Dialogues program in partnership with Teen Empowerment. Can you tell me about the goals of that project? Has the project produced tangible results?

CF: The primary goal behind the walking dialogues is to get the message out that the police department is looking to positively engage members of the community in an effort to work collaboratively with the community on public safety issues. Having officers walk the city with the youth of the city, identifying issues, and engaging citizens sends that message.

In my opinion, the most tangible result to date is the visible message sent to the community when such a large group of police and youth gather in a city park—where we usually begin our walks— and the relationships between the officers involved and the youth of Teen Empowerment. Communities are safer and stronger when regular citizens know they are in a partnership with the police to keep their community safe rather than when that interaction is reduced to just moments of crisis or confrontation. Our officers know these youth now, and through their efforts, these young people are in turn strengthening our officers’ ties to the community.

ST: One criticism of the Walking Dialogues program is that creating friendly relationships between residents and police might impact a person’s willingness to advocate for their rights during a police stop. Can you speak to that concern?

CF: It is wrong for police offers to act as if they have infinite, unquestionable authority, and it is equally wrong to discourage friendly relationships between police officers and residents. We receive our authority to enforce the law from the public that we serve, and we cannot keep the community safe by ourselves. We need collaborative partnerships with our community members, and we need to work together in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. If we do that, then there is no problem that cannot be solved.

ST: Where did your community policing philosophy come from? How has it developed?

CF: I spent many years working in my father’s grocery store. He would give food and supplies to families on credit when they could not afford to pay. I learned early on that acts of kindness can help build a community. Since becoming a member of the Somerville Police Department, I have had the honor of watching brave and compassionate officers perform a very difficult job with grace, dignity and a commitment to community.

ST: What’s the biggest local issue for Somerville? How is community policing shaping your response to that problem?

CF: From a public health and safety standpoint, heroin, opioids, and addiction together form the biggest issue Somerville faces and we are not alone in the region, state, or country in saying so.

Although it is a regional issue, our response to the issue is locally focused. The SPD philosophy of community policing includes the belief that addiction is a medical issue, not a criminal issue, and at every opportunity we need to guide citizens suffering with addiction towards treatment, not the criminal justice system.

We are working closely with many other city departments and local organizations as well. Through these collaborations, we have been able to hire a Jail Diversion Coordinator at the Police Department, and continue our efforts to have a Drug Addiction Specialist located within the Police Department.

ST: What are your goals for the next few years?

CF: My professional goals include working with my command staff and every member of the department to foster a sense of collaboration between the police and citizens of Somerville. I want to expand upon the system where officers are rewarded for their engagement efforts that help citizens to feel safe, connected and empowered within their community. I am working to increase our presence in and collaboration with the schools in Somerville. I want to continue investing in training and reviewing our policies to ensure that we are setting the standard for policing. All of this is of course always with the same goal, to keep our community protected and safe.