2001-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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l carry on with their daily lives. The Mashpee Police Report of the Department has taken the initiative to prepare and I Or Police Department train the members of the department to have the abil- ity to properly respond to incidents involving domes- tic terrorism and other public safety concerns and To the Honorable Board of Selectmen challenges. Moreover,I have been working with other and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: chiefs of police within Barnstable County to develop mutual aid and tactical plans that would collectively I hereby submit the annual report of the Police pool police resources to help successfully address pub- t lic safety challenges related to criminal activity, anti- Department for the year 2001. terrorism missions and homeland defense activities. Last year I reported to you that the police depart- The key to success of the Barnstable County Mutual ment experienced a year of transition in the Office of Aid Concept will be the melding of the various local Chief of Police. In contrast, the year 2001 brought police departments into a single focused unit to I. with it a marked fundamental and meaningful change address major crime and incidents that may have an in the organizational structure of the Mashpee Police adverse influence on our communities. Department. During the past year, the police depart- ment has reorganized its command staff, administra- After September 11, 2001, one fact remains tive,law enforcement and criminal investigation func- clear, successful anti-terrorism and counter terrorism tions in order to provide the community enhanced efforts will require the full participation and coopera- ; P y tion of law enforcement at all levels. It is widely rec- ,fir direct access to our command level officers and to police department services. The command staff, com- ognized that local police departments, such as the prised of the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief of Police, Mashpee Police Department, play a major role in the Operations Division Lieutenant and Administration prevention of incidents, provide the first response to 401 Division Lieutenant, are committed to providing the disasters and to serious crime, and is the critical first citizens of Mashpee with professional and quality link in the gathering and dissemination of vital intelli- police services. I sincerely appreciate assistance and gence information to state and federal law enforce- understanding received from the Board of Selectmen, ment agencies that may avert crime and terrorist activ- the Finance Committee and the Town Meeting Voters ities. Moreover, in all probability, as with any other in their support to our combined endeavor to make the type of crime or emergency, the Mashpee Police will stated changes to the police department organizational be the first police responder to any terrorist threat or g p p g incident. For that reason, it is of paramount im or- structure. The organizational changes will serve the p P Town and its police department well in coping with tance that the community supports the police depart- future growth and planning during the coming years. ment in its effort to obtain adequate budgetary funding �O Enclosed with this report is a diagram depicting the for training and operations to successfully help meet organizational structure of the Mashpee Police the challenges of suppressing crime and terrorist Department as voted at the annual town meeting. threats and activities. ' During 2001, we continued our core community The Mashpee Police Department is committed to outreach programs, community policing,TRIAD, vol- working with all law enforcement agencies, govern- unteer programs, the Citizen Police Academy and the ment agencies at all levels and community groups to Citizen Police Academy Alumni.The citizen members help ease the anxiety and fear that some of our citizens of these organizations have been highly productive may have resulting from the tragic events of over the past year and I applaud their efforts in pro- September 11, 2001. After all, the very foundation of "b,U viding an Alzheimer's Registration Program, democracy has always relied on freedom from fear, j freedom from fear of crime and now freedom from Neighborhood Watch, Home Security Survey I. fear of terrorism and terrorist activities. Our long Program, speed surveys on neighborhood roadways, assistance with the Octoberfest,the Thanksgiving Day standing partnership and commitment with the com- Football Game and the Child Identification Program munity has become very important since September (CHIP). These are just a sample of the projects under- 11, 2001, and will be of significant value to the Town taken this year through a cooperative effort between of Mashpee and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the members of the police department and the resi- as the domestic war on terrorism continues. I strongly dents we serve. urge my fellow citizens to report all crime and suspi- cious activity to the Mashpee Police Department. } Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a major focus of the police department has been on Statistics: Part I Offenses (violent crime and ; enhancing domestic preparedness and ensuring a safe property crimes) only increased overall by approxi- and secure environment in which our citizens can mately 3%, while Part II Offenses (all other crime) 75