Communities ponder cost, benefits of sharing police

Many have questioned how Stanley can fulfill his full-time duties in North Andover while also having to travel and lead a department 80 miles south on Cape Cod’s doorstep. In Wareham, some have questioned why an interim chief wasn’t named from the local police force’s ranks.

But the situation could last until next September. Wareham Town Meeting voters decided Monday night to keep the chief’s position under civil service, meaning that the candidate will be chosen from within the department. With the next civil service exam likely scheduled for May and the results not expected until July or August, Stanley indicated that Wareham “may not see a new police chief until next September.’’

In the past year, the police chief position has been a hot topic among several communities north of Boston as they grapple with issues ranging from new hires, high salaries, or whether they can get by with a shared chief or no chief at all.

In February, after Governor Deval L. Patrick announced midyear cuts in local aid that devastated municipal budgets statewide, Winthrop responded by laying off its police chief in order to free up that salary.

In Hamilton, some town officials and residents were discussing the possibility of merging police departments with neighboring Wenham, with which it already shares a school district and information technology services. The chief’s position there has been vacant since December, when Walter Cullen retired amid allegations of procurement fraud and larceny.

But those attempts were stopped short on Oct. 13 by Wenham Town Meeting voters, who rejected the idea amid concerns over actual savings and the town’s identity.

In Lynnfield, Town Meeting voters on Oct. 19 rejected a proposal that would have removed the police chief’s position from the civil service system. Proponents argued that would open the search to a wider pool of candidates who may have more experience.

Opponents argued that it can take a job away from an officer already on the force, and making the post an appointment would open the door for municipal officials to meddle in departmental policies and finances.

Stanley, who has been using one vacation day a week since August to work in Wareham, said that while he is enjoying the experience of working in two communities, such a move should only be considered as a short-term arrangement.

“I don’t think, in the long haul, that a person should hold the position of chief in two communities,’’ Stanley said. “It’s not healthy for the department, it’s not fair to the residents of the community. If two towns get into the agreement of having one police chief, if that’s the way you’re going to go, you might as well regionalize departments. But in a short period of time I think it absolutely works.’’

Most weeks, Stanley has been in North Andover on Mondays through Thursdays, and in Wareham on Fridays and Saturdays. The only thing that has been hurt by this arrangement, Stanley said, is his golf game.

“I don’t find it overwhelming at all. When you’re a police chief, you’re a police chief,’’ he said. “You’re always going to have critics and I’m not going to get bogged down . . . If there was a problem with me running North Andover, I would have to step aside from Wareham.’’

Tracy M. Watson, chairwoman of the North Andover Board of Selectmen, said the board will review how the arrangement is working out at its meeting Nov. 9.

Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes, the Suffolk County representative on the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association’s executive committee, said the idea of sharing chiefs or regionalizing, particularly in a tough economy, should be considered among smaller communities, such as Hamilton and Wenham, but not by cities. A state Department of Revenue report released in July found that Hamilton and Wenham would have saved $514,000 last fiscal year by merging police departments.

“Would that make sense? Yeah, they’re small communities. Could one individual be responsible for both? Yeah,’’ Kyes said. “But when you start talking about your cities . . . it won’t work. A Chelsea/Revere/Everett chief only would not work. Believe me, I can’t even do it alone here.

“I don’t think there’ll ever be a regionalization of a police chief, but a regionalization of a police department,’’ he said. “Particularly in those communities that share a school district, the smaller towns. The bigger towns, the issues are too complex.’’

As communities brace for another round of midyear cuts stemming from a $600 million hole in projected state revenues, local leaders should not consider cutting the police chief’s position, like Winthrop did earlier this year, for the sake of savings, Kyes said.

Delehanty, Kyes, and Revere Police Chief Terence Reardon, are discussing cost-saving ideas, including regionalizing certain services for their departments.