Select Board Meeting Minutes 10/27/22

Minutes of the meeting of 10/27/22

Meeting date: Thursday October 27, 2022

Meeting Opened at: 1:30pm

Select Board Members Present: Justin Makuc, Chair, Susan Cooper, Scott Jensen                              

Also Present: Melissa Noe

1:30pm: Chief of Police Interview with Jeffrey Postell

Mr. Postell’s resume, bio and letters of recommendation have been provided to the Board.  Originally from North Carolina where he served in municipal law enforcement in a small town, he is currently a Lieutenant in the Boston College Police Department and has been working in campus law enforcement since.  He is currently in charge of the Bureau of Patrol Services and Operations which oversees approximately 55 members of the department.  Having grown up in a small town, he appreciates the values of a small town and small-town policing.

 

Mr. Postell described his work in community policing, including building trust, his experience with social media platforms, and work with Special Olympics.  He explained that college policing is not fundamentally different from community policing because they are both all about 2 basic principles: take care of the people, and take care of the problems, which can be applied to any situation.  Mr. Postell also discussed his work with a senior living facility community watch in NC.  Mr.  Postell said that a well- being checks should be consistent regardless of a person’s age.  He suggested an idea of a check in program for the elderly on a weekly basis.

 

Mr. Postell described his grant writing experience with regard to traffic control and speeding.  He also discussed both education efforts and cooperative efforts with other law enforcement officials and the criminal justice system.  Mr. Postell also has experience with budgets and emphasized the importance of distinguishing wants from needs.  He also noted the importance of prioritizing officer safety.

 

Justin noted that we have an organization in Monterey that is a mental health rehabilitation facility and asked about Mr. Postell’s experience and mindset regarding mental health crises.  Mr. Postell said he has training responding to individuals in crisis, along with early signs of recognition and de-escalation skills.  He deals with some level of mental health daily.

 

Justin inquired about what Mr. Postell has done when he sees poor conduct or inappropriate or used excessive force.  Mr. Postell said there needs to be a place of legitimacy for police in the community and some officers are giving a bad reputation to others who are dedicated to following their training.  It is important that officers are up to date on self- defense and verbal de-escalation techniques.  He has had experience in dealing with citizen complaints, most have been unfounded, but on some occasions discipline was required.  He is an Internal Affairs investigator

 

Mr. Postell said that he understands that moving from the city of Boston to the small town of Monterey will be a transition.  The challenge here would be to grow the department to meet the needs of the growing town.  He also discussed the pros and cons of body cams along with the expense that the introduction of body cams would bring to the town.  

Justin thanked Jeffrey Postell for joining them for the interview.  

2:30pm: Chief of Police Interview with Brian Fahey

Mr. Fahey’s resume, bio and letters of recommendation have been provided to the Board.  Mr. Fahey has worked in law enforcement in Berkshire County for approximately 20 years, serving as Sargent in Monterey for the last five.  He hopes to serve as Chief in Monterey until his retirement.

 

Mr. Fahey discussed the current techniques and equipment the Monterey Police Dept. is currently using to reduce speeding, especially on Route 23.  He believes the current strategies are working, but there is always room for improvement.

 

Asked about his vision for the department, Mr. Fahey said he felt it was important to focus on retention of good officers and enhancement of community policing.  He feels that overlapping shifts will help training as well as morale.  He wishes to move the department toward first certification and then ultimately accreditation, updating our policies and procedures, and continuing to promote further training.  It is also important to keep our benefit package competitive.  He would also like to see the town move to join the Berkshire County IMC so that our officers have access to better information before responding to situations that arise.

 

Justin asked if Brian has ever witnessed excessive force or poor conduct in another officer, and how he responded or would respond in that situation?  Brian described a situation where he did have that situation, and his response was to remove the officer from the situation.  He feels de-escalation is critical.

 

Asked to detail his relationship with police departments from neighboring towns, Mr. Fahey noted that he has worked with many of them for years, and indeed trained some of the chiefs in surrounding towns.  He has always had a deep commitment to community policing, and wants his officers to continue to connect with people in the town.  He feels it may be time to reach out again to the Council on Aging, as they have in the past, to see what services seniors might like to see from the police department.  

Justin asked about Brian’s perspective on body cameras.  Brian said that he was all for body cameras, it helps protect both the officer and citizen.  He believes there is grant money available for cameras, and that 3 cameras would be appropriate for us.  Storage might be the highest cost.  In terms of other equipment, switching over to the Berkshire County IMC is important, and possibly also a better physical location for a police department. 

Asked about changes he would make as Chief, Brian he would like to slowly make changes, update policies and procedures, and move the department into the 21st century.  He does not perceive any drastic changes.  He would like to see the department engage in more community activities, from Toys for Tots, to Halloween events, to Cops for Kids free summer camp.  He suggested that while he does not feel union policing is necessary, the employee handbook may need to be modified to address some policies that are relevant to the police department.  At present he feels he has a good relationship with the Fire Department.  As for the greatest challenge, he feels it would be replacing the current chief after 30 years and doing things that the town has not seen in the past few years.  He said that staying out of the politics would also be a challenge.

Review candidates and consider appointment

Scott made a motion to appoint Sergeant Fahey as their next police chief.  Susan seconded, but asked for more discussion.  Justin said the two candidates both offer different strengths, and the department could go in different directions based on the candidate.  Brian would likely keep the department headed in its current direction, while Jeffrey might bring new ideas to Monterey.  Justin said he would take the time to review the interviews and call references and decide next week.

Susan said she feels comfortable where the department is, and she has taken the time to talk with Brian about changes he would like to make and the direction he would like to go.  Brian wants to bring us towards accreditation. Scott said that he likes to promote from within.  Some contract issues were discussed, and it was agreed the contract should be vetted by current counsel and a decision made thereafter.  The Board asked the Town Administrator for examples of current Police Chief salaries in nearby towns.

Justin moved to amend Scott’s motion to appoint Brian Fahey as the Police Chief at a salary of $81,000 a year, beginning January 1, 2023.  Susan said we should at least match the current Chief’s salary given that we are already at the lower end of Chief salaries in other towns.  Justin said his motion fails due to a lack of a second.  

Susan offered the amendment to hire Brian as of January 1st at the same salary as the current chief, $85,000.  Scott seconds the motion. A vote on the amendment to the motion is taken and carries. 

The amended motion is: Appoint Brian Fahey as the Chief of Police for the town of Monterey, beginning January 1st, 2023 for an amount of $85,089 a year, with no probationary period and the contract to be finalized after review by counsel.  A vote is called on the motion: Susan- yes, Scott- yes, Justin- yes — the motion carries unanimously.  

Motion to adjourn- Vote- Susan- yes, Scott- yes, Justin- yes. Meeting Adjourned at 4:04pm.

Documents used at the meeting:

1. none