Mitchell: New Bedford Police to Have 230 Officers By Spring

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — During his State of the City address on Wednesday afternoon, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell stated the city’s police force will likely be back up over 200 officers by this spring.

The New Bedford Police Department has been understaffed in recent years, with officers retiring, leaving for other communities or taking different jobs, and there not being enough incoming officers to take their spot on the roster.

While these challenges are certainly not exclusive to New Bedford, Mitchell’s administration and Police Chief Paul Oliveira did begin implementing new policies to help bump up recruitment.

“We responded to this problem by offering a signing bonus for new officers, eliminating the employee residency requirement, raising compensation across the department to a more competitive level, and launching a recruiting campaign,” Mitchell said Wednesday.

Still, the department had dipped to a low of 199 officers last year, when a fully-staffed force would be around 250 officers.

“I am pleased to report that the number of police officers on the force is rebounding, and from a low of 199 officers last year to a projected 230 officers this spring, we are within striking distance of what we actually need,” Mitchell said.

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New Police Headquarters Will Help

Mitchell touted the plan to build a new, modern police headquarters as something that “will help with recruitment and retention.”

“It has been over a hundred years since the department had a purpose-built headquarters, and our officers need a facility that suits the demands of modern policing,” he said.

Crime Continues to Fall

Mitchell said that despite the staffing challenge, an “improbable” drop in crime has occurred over the past decade, with violent crime down 58 percent and property crime down 54 percent.

“There are many reasons for this progress, and some of it mirrors – though still exceeds – national trends,” he said. “But it is fair to say it wouldn’t have happened if our police officers, along with (District Attorney Thomas) Quinn’s office, weren’t performing as well as they are.”

Mitchell also pointed out that Oliveira is continuing to implement police reforms spelled out on the Jensen Hughes report two years ago, including “the modernization of police policies, revamping training, restructuring senior leadership positions, adopting body worn cameras, and expanding the use of mental health clinicians, among many others,” he said.

“Chief Oliveira is sowing the seeds to grow an organizational culture in the department that will make it effective in maintaining the safety of our residents, and commanding their trust, for years to come,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also noted that Fire Chief Scott Kruger “implemented a series of reforms based on an outside expert review” and that “investments in fire prevention and education have helped reduce structure fires by 20 percent in the last two years.”

“That translates directly into lives saved,” he said.

Other Departments Praised

Mitchell also praised the work of two other public safety departments.

“Emergency Medical Services under Mike Thomas has reduced ambulance response times, and Emergency Management under Brian Nobrega has modernized the city’s hurricane response plans,” he said.