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Date: 11/3/2022
BRIMFIELD – Could the sheriff be coming to Brimfield?
In Brimfield, where the town’s police force will soon be without a chief, the Board of Selectman is initiating the task of vetting potential replacements. At this month’s meeting, members of the board were offering nominations for members to sit on a candidate search committee.
Current Chief Charles Kuss is retiring next month; that announcement was made by the board over the summer. While the groundwork and continuing process for filling the soon-to-vacant police chief position is set, there likely will be an alternative proposal for law enforcement in the town.
Board members, led by Chair Martin Kelly, were making note of letters of interest and resumes received by the town for potential candidates when member Anthony Soto noted that the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department was interested in presenting a proposal to the town.
The subject of that proposal: having the sheriff’s office take over and assume policing services for Brimfield.
Vice-Chair Suzanne Collins said the current process “was just a search committee” while Kelly suggested the process move forward to the extent of looking at the resumes and letters and have the new committee “give us their thoughts”.
Soto ultimately joined his fellow board members in offering a nomination for the search committee and the Sheriff’s Department’s proposal discussion was tabled for the remainder of the meeting.
While reportedly not an entirely new idea, it was apparent the suggestion of the county alternative appeared to be unexpected. The board went forward with the original plan to nominate members for installment to the police chief search committee, the roster still to be finalized.
In follow up, Soto said he has been in discussions with Sheriff Nick Cocchi about the possibility of the transfer of policing duties.
“Policing is policing”, says Soto who called the idea, “a great opportunity” and a “great time” with the retirement of Kuss.
Soto said Sheriff Cocchi has told him the current officers making up the Brimfield police force would be absorbed into the Sheriff’s Department with their salary and benefits covered by the office.
Soto also said the arrangement would be financially advantageous for the town, “we won’t have to buy another police vehicle”. He also points to the sheriff’s office vast resources that he says would directly be beneficial to Brimfield.
The subject has been discussed with members of the board individually with one member, Soto said, being “stanch against it but everyone else open to it.”
In the meantime, Soto said he has received an email request from Vice-Chair Suzanne Collins requesting he provide specifics on the proposed presentation by the sheriff’s office.
Soto said he is sure there will be some uncomfortable with the potential of change but “at the end of the day, it’s best for the town … it will keep taxes low … 3,700 people should not be absorbing the size department that we have and that amount of money”.
Also, at issue, Soto said, is what is perceived as fair to potential candidates for the chief’s position while discussions of a sheriff’s takeover are in progress. “It’s really unfair and they [the candidates] should know this stuff up front”.
The sheriff, meanwhile, wants an opportunity to make his presentation to the board and members of the public.
Brimfield has 14 police officers, according to the town’s website.
“It’s a win-win for all of us”, Soto says.
Meanwhile, Kuss is expected to step down on Nov. 30.
A presentation to the board by the sheriff’s office could soon follow after the proposal is officially introduced.
Requests for comment to Kelly and Collins were not met with response by press time.