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Date: 10/27/2021
CHICOPEE – Chicopee residents might notice an increase in police presence soon due to a new grant.
Mayor John Vieau addressed the developments through his mayor’s orders at the Chicopee City Council meeting on Oct. 19. The escalating police presence comes from a $49,402 Municipal Road Safety Program grant, which would provide additional funds for police overtime payments.
The mayor addressed how increased policing is needed to enforce traffic regulations in areas where speeding and illegal dirt bike riding have become a common concern.
“If you know of anyone who has these bikes in their homes, text a tip,” said Vieau in reference to the dirt bike crime information number 274-637.
Chicopee Lt. Holly Davis explained how the grant will provide an increased police presence. “It’s like a [police] detail. It’s outside of regular work hours. They come in and they are given a target area to do focused traffic enforcement based on what the needs are,” said Davis. She said the department will gather citizen complaints and statistics from last year to tackle areas of concern. Councilor At-Large James Tillotson revealed that a recent Chicopee survey noted speeding as the city’s largest public concern. The grant was passed by City Council.
The grant coincides with Chicopee’s efforts to grow the police department. Vieau discussed the “aggressive” campaign the city undertook to develop the short-staffed department. “We are down officers … and that’s because the hires in the 80s are up for retirement,” said Vieau. As veteran fixtures retired from the department, the mayor explained that new recruits were unable to attend police academy last year due to the pandemic.
“We’re excited about [the growth], we have 54 candidates that we have vetted and we’re starting a new set of interviews with a new list starting next week,” said Vieau. Davis also shared that nine recruits have been hired and are starting to begin their academy training.
Slate Conservation
The Slate Conservation discussion also continued. After several constituents addressed the issue in public speakout, Ward 6 Councilor Derek Dobosz concluded the public period by addressing two communications from the law department regarding Dobosz’s accusations about the city’s involvement with conservation land. “This communication is outrageous and inappropriate. It violates the City Council’s rules about attacking elected officials during public input … if it’s read in the record tonight, I will be reporting it to the Massachusetts BAR,” said Dobosz.
Ward 1 Councilor Joel D. McAuliffe and Ward 2 Councilor Shane Brooks underwent a contentious debate as to whether the communications should be read. As Brooks was explaining his rationale behind including the items, McAuliffe interrupted his communication with overriding objections. After consideration, the council voted to strike the issues from the agenda and send them to the Rules Subcommittee meeting for review.
COVID-19
The mayor also provided an update on COVID-19 cases. Vieau stated that the city has endured a slight decrease in cases. Despite the drop, he stressed the importance of getting vaccinated, especially to the 20 to 40 population that has been less prone to vaccinations. At the time of the meeting, Chicopee has a vaccination rate of 56 percent, a figure that the mayor hopes to improve. “While our numbers show our older adults are getting vaccinated…some of the younger adults are choosing not to get vaccinated,” said Vieau.
Vieau also teased the development of a 9/11 Memorial and Service Dog Remembrance Park, with the project just completing its planning stages. The project will be funded through an even split between city funds and a grant from the state, according to Vieau. The item will be discussed in future City Council meetings before beginning construction in December.
The City Council will meet again on Nov. 4.