Show Me The Money

The Amherst Police Supervisor's Union staked out Amherst Town Meeting

The 13-member Amherst Police Supervisor's Union picked the perfect night to picket Amherst Town Meeting.  Opening night is always the most highly attended (191 checked in out of 240) and the majority of members use the northern most entrance to the Middle School. 

 Passed unanimously

Although it had nothing directly to do with the public protest, Town Meeting did vote early in the evening to reopen the police budget from last year and add $29,200 for "anticipated costs" associated with the contract settlement.

If that does become the exact amount needed it represents a 2% raise. 

The current contract is almost two years expired and it's the last remaining municipal labor contract still outstanding.

Most other municipal unions received around that 2% figure for a raise.

 Leaflet distributed to Town Meeting members

A Less Destructible Dash

Dash with partner, officer TJ Clark

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Assault & Battery

Amherst police arrested David Rempp, age 23, who lists his address as "streets of Amherst", for domestic Assault & Battery with a dangerous weapon and destruction of property with that dangerous weapon.

Unfortunately because he was transported by AFD for psychological issues, APD did not get a chance to book him, thus no mug shot. 

Mr Rempp was arrested Friday but later bailed under the condition he report to a hospital for treatment, and then Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday morning for arraignment.

But he failed to appear in District Court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Editors note:  For any of you old enough to remember the Sharon Galligan murder at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley you will understand why I did not redact the sensitive medical information about Mr. Rempp.

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A Fabulous Job

Chief Livingstone introduces Sgts Foster (left) and McLean (ctr), Lt. Knightly (rt)

While the town is parsimonious when it comes to budgeting for our Public Safety departments, I have to admit the Select Board and Town Manager are pretty good when it comes to demonstrating moral support.

 Fellow officers (and Fire Chief) showed up for support

After the awful Blarney Blowout of 2013 (which resulted in six arrests) where bottles and cans were thrown at EMTs while they were assisting an intoxicated young woman, the Select Board and Town Manager actually gave UMass an earful for not doing enough to prevent the mayhem.

And of course the next year which was an utter disaster (with 58 arrests), Amherst town officials were quick to publicly support APD after the rush to judgement about alleged inappropriate use of force.

Last night it was one of those symbolic, non controversial little things that goes a l-o-n-g way towards maintaining pride in a job well done:  Swearing in recently promoted officers Dave Foster and Rich McLean to sergeant and Dave Knightly to lieutenant.

Racial Profiling?

Victor Nunez Ortiz appears before Amherst School Committee 3/17/15

If Amherst police had paid me a visit because a Crocker Farm School (where my daughter does attend) employee had given them a description of an gray-haired chubby Irish guy, I would probably be a little unhappy with the reality check, but would not argue that I don't fit the profile.

In fact Victor Nunez Ortiz seems to argue that he did fit the profile and as a result was being profiled.

   Victor Nunez Ortiz MCAD Complaint

Which becomes a chicken and egg scenario. If police stop you simply because you're not white and they had no lead whatsoever on the race of the Perp, then that strikes me as profiling.

But if police stop Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because they have a description of a very tall black man, that strikes me as being good police work (as long as they let him go after finding out who he is).

 Last nights League of Women Voters Candidates night

A Cry For Help

Police were involved in a frantic one-hour search late last night for an Amherst College student who had called an ex-girlfriend in Pittsfield, sounding drunk and making suicidal statements. Amherst College police confirmed he left behind a "goodbye note" in his room.

APD and Amherst College PD looking for suicidal student.  Possibly intoxicated.  On open phone line with x-girlfriend, but not talking.
— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) March 18, 2015

After "pinging" his phone it was determined he was located within a mile of Stanley Street, so Amherst police sent cruisers to strategic locations within the perimeter with their sirens blaring so see if his open phone line picked up the noise, thus giving better indication of his location.

The reporting party said she could hear running water and then, ominously, about an hour into the drama said she could hear "moaning and vomiting."

 Temperatures last night

He was located semi-conscious on the bike path about a half mile east of the Amherst College tennis courts, with no shirt on, suffering from possible hypothermia and with superficial wounds from a broken bottle.

Amherst Fire Department, with an extra firefighter on board, transported him to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Just another example of outstanding co-operation between Amherst College PD, Amherst and State police. 

And the urgent need for the state to upgrade the emergency 911 system for GPS location, which would have instantly provided authorities with his whereabouts within ten feet rather than a mile.

Amherst College student found on rail trial intoxicated, without shirt, possibly hypothermic. PD on scene. AFD enroute.
— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) March 18, 2015

Vital Communications

One of four Dispatch workstations

If all goes as expected this Thursday morning the Joint Capital Planning Committee will approve about $3 million in spending for equipment replacement and building repairs that will still require Town Meeting approval, but is usually 100% ratified.

With it's annual budget of $650,000 a capital request of $110,000 for equipment replacement may sound like a lot but without the Communication Center working properly our $9 million Police and Fire departments would be flying blind.

Currently Station Officer can't interact as well with officers in the field or trace their location

The four dispatch workstations and a 5th new fully functional station for the downstairs "Station Officer" will replace an outdated system using Windows XP installed in 2006. The town purchased the system from Motorola for $200,000.

 HP computers are left on 24/7 now for fear of not rebooting

Radio console system being replaced at 5 workstations

The current system has internal clocks that do not always sync properly to the actual time, does not always record incoming calls for instant playback (although a redundant back up system does) and is not compatible for two-way conversation with UMass dispatch. 

In addition to fixing those problems the new system will have digital capabilities and allow for additional channels should the need arise.  

 911 system:  screen on left gives name and address of caller, screen on right maps location

Communication Center Director Mike Curtin tells me at some point over the past three years every one of the five stations targeted for replacement has failed.  And sometimes it can take up to two weeks to get a station properly repaired.  

 Separate station monitors town buildings via automated alarms

The Dispatch center is nothing if not busy, handling 80,000 phone calls on the business line and 7,000 on the 911 emergency line last year with a total staff of only 12.

Left screen CAD narratives/records, middle screen keeps track of on duty first responders, right screen shows license plate info, wants and warrants

The two new dispatchers hired recently had to undergo 60 hours of training, but overall 70% of staff are at the top step for pay scale, meaning they are well experienced.  Typically the center has two dispatchers on duty, one for police and the other for fire.

This much needed overhaul would also be beneficial should Amherst ever regionalize dispatch operations, although that is not looking as promising as it once did.

At a recent Finance Committee meeting Chief Livingstone said, "I don't see it happening soon.  It's not dead yet, but we have to convince Hadley."

3rd floor, APD headquarters, 111 Main Street.  The eyes and ears of first reponders

A Different Approach

Amherst Police Department, 111 Main Street

The Amherst Police Department was recently awarded a $33,615 state grant for the next two years by the Department of Mental Health to train officers in a "team approach" for dealing with behavior health problems rather than the standard cycle of arrest, District Court hearing, release, back on the streets.  Repeat.

Chief Livingstone was "pretty excited about receiving the grant".  According to the Chief, "This team approach model has had successes in many other police agencies across the country.  This is a nationwide problem that cannot be solved by police and court systems alone."

Department wide training will begin in June and after officers have been selected to form a "Crisis Intervention Team" they will receive additional higher level training.

Downtown businesses have been complaining for the past few years about the increasing number of homeless in the downtown, some of them under the influence of drugs or alcohol, getting out of control.

Downtown will also see addition police presence during business hours if the Town Manger's FY16 budget is approved by Town Meeting this spring.  After years of calling for increased police staffing the Town Manager, finally, added one sworn officer to his budget proposal.

Blarney Blowout 2015

Sagacious Fade user figured it out well before noon

UPDATE Sunday afternoon:

Ultra-reliable source confirms the total number of Law Enforcement Officers involved with snuffing out the Blarney Blowout yesterday was 225.

Since the Western Mass Mutual Aid regional agreement calls for the "host community" to cover the bill for a "pre-planned event," UMass has graciously stepped up to accept full responsibility, rather than the town of Amherst.

Classy move UMass/Amherst!

#####

A sea of uniformed officers strategically stationed in all the usual trouble spots snuffed out the Blarney Blowout.  Decisively. With very few arrests and NO violence.

 Brisk start to the morning

The main difference this year was advance planning, a seemingly endless supply of police personnel and of course THE WEATHER.  Townhouse Apartments, ground zero the last few years for rowdy behavior, remained a cold barren tundra.

 Hard to miss contingent of state and local PD at Townhouse and North Village Apartments

Hobart Lane

Lincoln Avenue/Fearing Street intersection near UMass Southwest

Puffton Village

Police also blocked off the main entrances to these trouble spots and allowed only residents entry.  A modus operandi that was also used at North Village, Puffton Village, Phillips Street, Nutting Ave and of course Hobart Lane.

Phillips Street

 No guest policy at UMass and no visitor parking at apartment complexes kept down the crowds

The MSP helicopter paid a visit bright and early to North Amherst and maintained a highly visible -- and auditory -- presence.

 MSP Air One

The Mullins Center concert attracted thousands of students off the streets so that too was a BIG help.

  Long line of students waiting to get into Mullins Center concert 11:30 AM

And yes, maybe having the half dozen downtown bars not open until 4:00 PM also contributed since it certainly kept college aged youth from swamping town center like they did in previous years.

Long line waiting for Stacker's to open at 4:00 PM

Girl Scouts cookies for sale town center

Equipment:

UMPD Incident Command vehicle set up at Puffton Village Apartments

 

APD Personal Transport Vehicle 

 Mass Fire Services Special Operations vehicle staged at Wildwood School

Many police vehicles staged at Wildwood School 

 

The price tag for all the additional personnel and equipment plus the free concert at the Mullins Center is indeed sizable. But the damage done last year to the town, University and student body is incalculable.

Whatever the cost for today ... it was worth it!

Only 365 days until Blarney 2016.
— ZooMass (@ZooMass) March 8, 2015

"Dismissed" Doesn't Mean Innocent!

Thomas C. Donovan arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court (3/10/14).  Your humble reporter standing in background.  MassLive photo by Dave Roback

So the hotshot Boston attorney for Mr. Thomas C. Donovan was being a tad coy when he told my friends at MassLive that the reason he took so long to file a lawsuit against Amherst police is because he wanted to wait until the Blarney Blowout criminal case was concluded against his choir boy client.

Thus giving the impression that the criminal case was "dismissed" and his client was totally innocent.

As any of you who have followed my Eastern Hampshire District Court reports over the past year or so know, the usual method of dealing with UMass students arrested for rowdy behavior is a "diversion" from criminal to civil and the dropping of at least one of the charges.

In the case of Mr. Donovan, who was charged with "failure to disperse" and "disorderly conduct", the Judge, as part of his plea deal, dismissed outright the "disorderly conduct" charge but DID NOT DISMISS the "failure to disperse" charge.

Instead he was put on probation for four months, ordered to pay $200 in restitution and write a letter of apology to APD ... only THEN was the charge of "failure to disperse" dismissed.

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And yes, I have confirmed Donovan wrote the letter of apology to APD, but since this now involves a lawsuit the letter is not a public document.  I also assume he paid the $200 and did the 20 hours of community service.

If he's so innocent, why write a "letter of apology"?

The fact he was recording on his phone at the time he failed to heed a lawfully given order to disperse is irrelevant.  If he were playing a violin, the cops would have told him to stop playing the violin and leave.  

"Not talking to reporters now".  Gee, I wonder why?

To Serve & Protect

APD Captain Chris Pronovost (left) Chief Scott Livingstone (right) 

 
Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingston and Captain Chris Pronovost appeared before the Joint Capital Planning Committee this morning to present their FY16 equipment needs, which were pretty modest considering their $4.5 million operational budget.

Joint Capital Planning Committee preparing to discuss PD equipment this morning

The usual replacement of three front line patrol vehicles, with an excess of 100,000 miles usage, takes up the bulk of the total request at $105,000.  Next year it will be a tad more expensive as the request will be for one additional vehicle.  The department orders four vehicles on a rotating basis every 4th year.

Front line cruisers are used 24/7, 365 days a year

One of the things you don't want to have happen when you call 911 for a life or death emergency is to have help delayed because of a vehicle breakdown.

 Click to enlarge/read.  FY16 starts July 1st

Amherst police department was one of the first public safety agencies in the state to adopt  "in car video systems" aka dash cams.  Such a system protects both the officer making an arrest or just interacting with citizens and the person being arrested or just interacting with the officer. 

$12,000 will purchase two complete systems, to replace older systems in two cruisers.

Naturally as the Chief was leaving the meeting I asked him about body cams.  He responded that within two years it will probably be standard equipment for his department.

The current crop of cameras somewhat rushed to market are still a tad expensive (decent reliable units around $1,000 each) and like any new technology the cameras will get better and cheaper just within the next two years.

He did point out that officers are in favor of wearing the cameras, so it's not a labor union issue  holding things up.  Obviously body cameras would have come in handy last year at the Blarney Blowout.

Also coming in handy when things reach riotous proportions are "Crowd management tools, Protective Gear" aka riot gear.

The Chief told the JCPC that he was dropping the $9,500 request -- not because they are unneeded -- but because he found leftover money in another account to fund them.

The current generation of riot gear (both bulky and hot in the summer) was purchased back in the mid-1980s before anybody ever heard of Blarney Blowout and the excuse to day-drink and get riotous was called "Hobart Hoedown".

Officers only recently were fitted for the equipment so it will not be available this coming March 7.

Do I think they will need riot gear that day?  Well the weather is forecast to be sunny/clear but COLD so that's a BIG help.

Free Mullins Center Concert March 7 to keep students on campus

Plus the quad area of Townhouse Apartments -- ground zero for the gestation of riotous behavior -- is currently buried in snow, so that's a BIG help.

And even the recent regrettable publicity about an alleged "First Amendment" violation last year resulting in a federal lawsuit against APD will at least serve to remind everyone of what a lousy day Blarney was ... for EVERYBODY.

Although I do find it fascinating that Cowardly Anon Nitwits post drivel on the mobile app FADE publicly threatening my First Amendment rights:

At least I'm filed under "hot"

Photo is from an "event" I covered at Townhouse back on September 20

And The Beat Goes On ...

Timothy Stahl, age 36, stands before Judge Michael Mulcahy

While the Amherst Police Department is winning the war on youthful rowdy behavior with noise/nuisance tickets down dramatically from last year, one area of peace keeping is not so successful: dealing with the homeless, or drug/alcohol impaired individuals with mental health problems ("62 issues" in police code).

Click to enlarge/read

APD Chief Livingstone told the Finance Committee last week that one of the two new officers will be assigned to downtown patrol at the urging of the Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement District.

And his department has put in for a behavioral mental health grant to try to get these frequent offenders off the streets and into treatment.

Currently individuals like Mr. Stahl are arrested (tying up an officer or two), transported to the Northampton House of Correction, then transported to Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, then released by a Judge with a token fine.

Only to end up back on the streets of Amherst.