City applies for grant to continue police foot [and bike] patrols
By Mike LaBella, Eagle-Tribune, November 7, 2021
Photo: 2014 Photo by Carlo Russo, Eagle Tribune
HAVERHILL MA— The city has applied for another municipal staffing grant that Police Chief Robert Pistone said will enable his department to continue running downtown foot and bicycle patrols.
He said the $255,000 grant application the mayor recently signed on behalf of the city will continue to pay for these types of patrols, which he said have proven popular with downtown merchants and members of the public, all of whom feel safer when police are around, he said. The city applies for the grant every year and typically is awarded the money. Sometimes the city changes how the money is used but Pistone doesn’t anticipate that happening next year.
During the Oct. 26 city council meeting, Pistone told councilors there is an officer assigned to a foot patrol downtown during the day shift, five days a week, and that two days a week those patrols include officers on bicycles, another form of community policing.
“Once bad weather comes we don’t use bicycles but the walking beats will continue,” he said.
Patrols are in effect five nights a week, and three of those nights include two officers patrolling bars and restaurants, he said.
“The public loves seeing the officers on foot and on bikes,” Pistone said, noting that crowds that gather in front of downtown bars can be intimidating to people who want to go out for a quiet dinner and that a visible police presence makes people feel safe.
Councilor Thomas Sullivan asked what police can do to address the problem of people walking their dogs downtown and not attending to dog droppings.
“They are not necessarily picking up after their dogs,” Sullivan said. “It’s a big problem.”
Pistone said his department has hired an animal control officer and is in the process of hiring a second officer.
“Once we get a second officer on board, we can enforce that,” Pistone said.
Sullivan said he wants the city to launch a public awareness campaign asking downtown residents to pick up after their dogs, and also notify the public of the importance of city regulations and the enforcement of ordinances related to pets.
Council President Melinda Barrett said the city has a history of foot patrols in the downtown and that as a former downtown business owner, having a visible police presence creates a sense of security for merchants and for their customers.
Pistone noted that his department is about to achieve its national accreditation, making Haverhill’s police department one of only four departments in the state to be nationally accredited.
“That speaks volumes in terms of the men and women in the department, but also the support we have from our local government that supports us and makes sure we are adequately staffed and have equipment and the support of the community,” he said.
Councilor McGonagle praised the police department for using technology, the latest tactics, and sending officers to various schools.
“We need to do things smarter, not harder,” he said, adding that in recent years police have exhibited a better understanding of the community.