His Lordship's Folly

Select board Chair Gerry Weiss was so proud of himself for championing a Mutual Aid Pact between Amherst and Umass Police Departments, even though most observers considered it a mere formalizing of a relationship going back many years.

Of course Mr Weiss naively hoped the pact would expand overall police presence in the town while reducing overhead to Amherst taxpayers. And, he could use it as an excuse to cut two officers this fiscal year.

But the mutual aid pact is a two-way street. And guess who has provided all the extra aid in the two months since the agreement was signed? Yes, those Amherst officers in riot gear patrolling Umass these past two weeks have cost Amherst taxpayers around $15,000 in overtime.