The New Bedford Police Union is challenging what it says is an inconsistent approach to police staffing, after officers were ordered in to meet minimum manpower requirements during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting — but only until the meeting ended.
For several years, the Union says it has been engaged in an ongoing dispute with the Police Administration over minimum staffing levels. The Union’s position has remained that when staffing falls below the established minimum, additional personnel should be brought in to meet that threshold.
The Administration, meanwhile, has maintained that staffing levels fall under management rights and that it has the authority to determine when additional personnel are necessary.
The Union now says that position needs to be applied consistently.
During the most recent City Council meeting, officers were forced in to reach minimum manpower, but the requirement ended when the council meeting concluded.
That decision, according to the Union, raises a fundamental question: Why was minimum manpower necessary for the City Council meeting, but not necessarily for the public at other community events?
The Union points to a recent Ward One community meeting concerning Flock cameras as an example. Despite members of the public gathering to discuss a significant public-safety issue, the Police Department was not brought up to minimum manpower for that meeting.
“The Union understands the concerns surrounding forced overtime,” the statement says, acknowledging the potential impact on officer morale, family life and the Department’s ability to retain newer officers.
But the Union argues that if the Administration believes routinely forcing officers to minimum manpower is not in the Department’s best interest, that standard should apply across the board.
What the Union objects to, it says, is selectively increasing staffing when it benefits or reassures one group while allowing the Department to operate below that same minimum when ordinary residents are relying on police services.
“Public safety should not depend on who is attending a meeting, who is asking for additional protection, or who happens to be in the room,” the Union states.
The dispute ultimately goes beyond a single City Council meeting. At its core is a question about whether New Bedford has one standard for police staffing — or different standards depending on the circumstances.
The Union says it is not seeking special treatment for police officers or anyone else.
It is asking for consistency.
If minimum manpower is considered necessary to ensure safety at one public gathering, the Union argues, the Administration should explain why that same level of protection is not necessary when other members of the public gather for community meetings or events.
“The Union is not asking for special treatment. We are asking for one standard, applied fairly and consistently,” the statement concludes. “If minimum manpower is necessary for the safety of some, then the Administration should explain why that same minimum is not necessary for the safety of everyone.”
