# Belchertown to explore auxiliary police plan



## niteowl1970

Belchertown to explore auxiliary police plan | masslive.com

BELCHERTOWN - The Board of Selectmen is encouraging Police Chief Francis R. Fox Jr. to proceed with plans to form an auxiliary force to augment the Police Department and provide opportunities for evaluating potential new full-time officers.

"It sounds like a pretty good idea to me," Selectman William R. Barnett said.

"It sounds like a good method to create a system by which we can get and develop new police officers," Barnett said.

Fox has been working on the concept and details for an auxiliary police force for more than a year and presented his ideas in their current form to the Board of Selectmen late last month.

Fox has talked about having the auxiliary force work at large events in uniforms that would be distinct from Belchertown police officers' uniforms and carrying out some but not all of the duties of the regular police.

They would not work the road details now covered by off-duty regular officers.


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## Guest

Idle thought....is crime so rampant in Belchertown that they really need auxiliary police?


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## 47turksinajar

Delta784 said:


> Idle thought....is crime so rampant in Belchertown that they really need auxiliary police?


but this gives hush a chance to put his foot in the door before it closes haha :smoke:


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## Guest

47turksinajar said:


> but this gives hush a chance to put his foot in the door before it closes haha :smoke:


Fair enough.


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## LGriffin

They need extra troops to corral lord jesus christ!

Lord Jesus Christ banned from library | WWLP.com


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## pahapoika

_*create a system by which we can get and develop new police officers,*_

maybe give locals the edge or get a good look at them ?

_*They would not work the road details now covered by off-duty regular officers. 
*_
think they would throw a guy a bone once in awhile :tounge_smile:


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## Edmizer1

Delta784 said:


> Idle thought....is crime so rampant in Belchertown that they really need auxiliary police?


 Belchertown actually has quite a mix of incomes, including some real white trash areas. I think they are also the biggest land area town in the state, something like 55 square miles. They also do it with very few cops. I've heard that Chief Fox is great to work for.


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## jettsixx

A good friend of mine works there he seems to like it, and yes it does acutally have a little bit of crime. (There are towns west of 495 that actually have calls) just sayin.


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## rg1283

Also the Reservoir has the old MDC State Police Barracks still in use as C-7 today.


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## Macop

Belchertown borders Palmer and Ware, both shit bag factories and they seep into Belchertown quit often


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## niteowl1970

Macop said:


> Belchertown borders Palmer and Ware, both shit bag factories and they seep into Belchertown quit often


How dare you besmirch the reputations of both these fine towns !

After all Palmer produces a product that every man has been asked to purchase at 2AM at one point in their relationship.


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## Macop

I know, I know. I should be ashamed of myself. For anyone that cares the town fathers (morons) decided not to renew Fox's contract. He is done 6/30.


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## niteowl1970

Macop said:


> I know, I know. I should be ashamed of myself. For anyone that cares the town fathers (morons) decided not to renew Fox's contract. He is done 6/30.


Maybe not..

Belchertown | Breaking News - MassLive.com - Massachusetts Local News - MassLive.com


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## Macop

Thats good to see, Fran is a good guy.


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## trueblue

Sounds like the Selectmen are trying to "augment" the force so they don't have to pay OT shifts.


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## Macop

Assuming the contract allows that. My guess is that part time Officers having first right of refusal went out of most contracts years ago.


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## Edmizer1

Macop said:


> Assuming the contract allows that. My guess is that part time Officers having first right of refusal went out of most contracts years ago.


Not out in Western Mass. Many towns still allow part-timers the first right of refusal. Some towns allow the full-timers the first right to refuse extra shifts but they have to be worked at straight time. If they refuse the shift, the part-timers then get it at straight time. If the part-timers all refuse, (which almost never happens), the shifts then get offerred back to the full-timers again at an OT rate.

I don't know how they get around FLSA but I was told once that towns cite that under the common 4/2 schedule, these "deployment periods" avoid mandated OT until a certain number of hours is reached by an officer each month.


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## chief801

Edmizer1 said:


> Not out in Western Mass. Many towns still allow part-timers the first right of refusal. Some towns allow the full-timers the first right to refuse extra shifts but they have to be worked at straight time. If they refuse the shift, the part-timers then get it at straight time. If the part-timers all refuse, (which almost never happens), the shifts then get offerred back to the full-timers again at an OT rate.
> 
> I don't know how they get around FLSA but I was told once that towns cite that under the common 4/2 schedule, these "deployment periods" avoid mandated OT until a certain number of hours is reached by an officer each month.


You are referring to the law enforcement exemption under the FLSA section 207 (k). No overtime required as long as officer don't work over 171 hours in a 28 day period. The only time OT has to be paid prior to that is if the contract states OT is earned after 8 hours or after 40 hrs. With no contractual language to the contrary, towns must notify the union that they have adopted the 171/28 day exemption. In calculating the 171 hours, vacation and other leave time are not counted...only hours actually worked. Again, some contracts clearly state the vacation is counted as time worked, so you have to read the respective contracts to see if the exemption applies.


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## Macop

Ed, what P.D are you talking about. Most towns out here in Wmasss dont do that anymore. I have worked for a few of the small towns in Frankilin county and never came across that when I was getting contracts during negotiations. Not even Bernardston, Gill, or Northfield does that stuff anymore.


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## chief801

Macop said:


> Ed, what P.D are you talking about. Most towns out here in Wmasss dont do that anymore. I have worked for a few of the small towns in Frankilin county and never came across that when I was getting contracts during negotiations. Not even Bernardston, Gill, or Northfield does that stuff anymore.


No one specifically, just speaking generally about the 207(k) exemption. There are some departments that get around paying Quinn on the overtime rate by using the exemption (including us). Because we pay overtime after 8 hours, the total pay works out to be higher than calculating FLSA overtime with Quinn.


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## Edmizer1

Macop said:


> Ed, what P.D are you talking about. Most towns out here in Wmasss dont do that anymore. I have worked for a few of the small towns in Frankilin county and never came across that when I was getting contracts during negotiations. Not even Bernardston, Gill, or Northfield does that stuff anymore.


The ones I can think of off the top of my head are Monson Pd, and Hampden PD which has a variation of the rule. I think Hampden has a certian number of OT shifts per week or month that must be offerred to part-timers first as regular pay.


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## Macop

I am pretty sure Holyoke fought the overtime/quinn issue, and won. I believe its called the Holyoke decision.


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## chief801

Macop said:


> I am pretty sure Holyoke fought the overtime/quinn issue, and won. I believe its called the Holyoke decision.


Right...and that's when we were all advised to inform the colletive bargaining units that the exemption was being exercised. The union had not been given notice.


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## niteowl1970

*Belchertown selectmen reverse course, offer contract renewal package to Police Chief Francis Fox*

http://www.masslive.com/news/index...._offer_contract_police_chief_francis_fox.html

BELCHERTOWN - With recall petitions circulating to remove the three selectmen who voted last week against offering a contract renewal to Police Chief Francis R. Fox Jr., the selectmen reversed that position Monday, agreed to terms and offered Fox a contract, which he is considering.

School Committee member Paul Anziano, who took out the recall petition forms, said more than 1,000 signatures have been collected on recall petitions for Selectmen James A. Barry, Kenneth E. Elstein and George D. Archible.


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## Macop

Good for Foxy, I have a strong feeling the recall will continue anyway, as it should.


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## Loyal

Edmizer, Burptown is far from the "biggest town landwise" in Massachusetts...Plymouth is the biggest and has about 105 Square miles of land and probably 5 times the population of Burptown...and still growing rapidly in population and commerce..Barnstable or Middleboro is second, but Middleboro only has about 19,000 people... I know that no one cares..but just wanted the record corrected from your contention...My question is whether specials or auxillary officers in places that have them, answer 911 calls, ANY calls, have Ch 90 enforcement authority and if they are trusted without a full time (real) academy to act on their own and make arrests, ect, like full time officers do...western Mass sounds like hillbilly land...no insult intended, but it's hard to believe that any Northeast municipalities are so quaint. Maybe I need to venture more around this state


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## 47turksinajar

Loyal said:


> Edmizer, Burptown is far from the "biggest town landwise" in Massachusetts...Plymouth is the biggest and has about 105 Square miles of land and probably 5 times the population of Burptown...and still growing rapidly in population and commerce..Barnstable or Middleboro is second, but Middleboro only has about 19,000 people... I know that no one cares..but just wanted the record corrected from your contention...My question is whether specials or auxillary officers in places that have them, answer 911 calls, ANY calls, have Ch 90 enforcement authority and if they are trusted without a full time (real) academy to act on their own and make arrests, ect, like full time officers do...western Mass sounds like hillbilly land...no insult intended, but it's hard to believe that any Northeast municipalities are so quaint. Maybe I need to venture more around this state


What about framingham... DO WORK SON!

Why wouldn't they have "police powers"... you know what instead of hiring auxiliary maybe they should just hire a bunch of constables to run around like vigilantes to control the drug distribution of beltchertown!

Fox teaches at the academy..... let's be realistic he's going to have some common sense when he hires, none the less he's going to know who he's hiring and see their personality before they're even on the road


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## niteowl1970

Loyal said:


> western Mass sounds like hillbilly land...no insult intended,


Yeah the streets of Springfield and Holyoke still have hitches where you can tie your horses.


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## 47turksinajar

niteowl1970 said:


> Yeah the streets of Springfield and Holyoke still have hitches where you can tie your horses.


Well they do treat it like an old fashion western having shootouts like no ones business! :shades_smile:


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## screamineagle

Loyal said:


> j*ust wanted the record corrected from your contention*...QUOTE]
> 
> Plymouth has a TOTAL area of 134 square miles, and a LAND area of 96.5 square miles. I just wanted the record corrected from *YOUR* contention.


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## OfficerObie59

Loyal said:


> Plymouth is the biggest and has about 105 Square miles of land...





screamineagle said:


> j*ust wanted the record corrected from your contention*...QUOTE]
> 
> Plymouth has a TOTAL area of 134 square miles, and a LAND area of 96.5 square miles. I just wanted the record corrected from *YOUR* contention.


Total land area with landlocked bodies of water is 103-105 square miles; changes due to flooding, drought and erosion.

The 96.5 figure is w/o lakes and ponds; the 134 figure includes Plymouth Bay.

Whatever the figure is--land, lakes, or ocean--police services are often needed on all three, and I would argue more water is more $$$ becuase you need entirely different equipment as ooposed to more of the same.


47turksinajar said:


> What about framingham...


Largest town by measure of population, not in land area. For that, Mr. Loyal is correct--Plymouth is #1, Middleboro #2...once you get past those two, you have to start getting into stupid shit like how much the ocean or other water bodies count...Petersham, Nantucket, and Barnstable could all vye for 3rd place.

CIS: Cities and Towns and Their Counties in Massachusetts


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## cc3915

For those who may be interested, here's a link to the largest cities and towns in Canada by area (in kilometers).


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## Macop

western Mass sounds like hillbilly land...no insult intended, but it's hard to believe that any Northeast municipalities are so quaint. Maybe I need to venture more around this state [/QUOTE]

Yes, you should, you may learn something.


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## Guest

Fun fact of the day; the RMV used to issue low-digit police plates according to the size of the community.....my chief has "Police 9" because we used to be the 9th largest community in the state, although we're 8th now.


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## OfficerObie59

Fun Belchertown fact: The Town of Enfield MA was disincorporated in 1939 and flooded to later become the Quabbin, with the leftover part of Enfield was ceded to Belchertown.

Anyone else got any more dumb shit no one cares about, provided we don't use it as a dick meauring contest?


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## Guest

OfficerObie59 said:


> Anyone else got any more dumb shit no one cares about, provided we don't use it as a dick meauring contest?


If I'm underwater, plug my nose, then forcibly exhale with my mouth closed, bubbles come out of my eyes.


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## OfficerObie59

Delta784 said:


> If I'm underwater, plug my nose, then forcibly exhale with my mouth closed, bubbles come out of my eyes.


 Well, as long as the water is cold, I know you're aquiesing to my request. Thank you very much, sir.


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