Mike Ziemba told the board Monday July 12, that he has compared Williamstown s policies against 170 policies from the town of Great Barrington, where the department is accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. Ziemba said it is the WPD s goal to achieve that same level of accreditation, a long-term process the department has just undertaken. He highlighted a couple of policies that have been updated, including one where changes were necessitated by the commonwealth s recent police reform bill. The WPD s new use of force policy, among other things, spells out a prohibition on the use of choke holds, Ziemba said. He also provided some detail on his department s policy on de-escalation techniques, which include using techniques like verbal persuasion warnings and calling in mental health consultants.
WILLIAMSTOWN â As a response to concerns expressed by residents at its previous meeting, the Select Board decided during Monday nightâs meeting to invite Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington to talk about the Brady list, and what it means for officers on the list.
Townsfolk were upset to learn last year that a Williamstown Police officer is on the list, which identifies officers in the county who might not be allowed to testify in court cases because they have been disciplined for certain violations of police policy. Many have wondered why the officer still is employed there.
Mondayâs meeting was the first in-person meeting the board has had since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.
Williamstown Residents Press Board to Act on Police Officer iberkshires.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iberkshires.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Assistant Town Accountant Julie Snow, left, accepts the Town Employee of the Year Award from Jane Nichols. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — If you were not able to make it to.
Moving on to our next search, that committee will be subject to the Open Meeting Law, Hugh Daley said. There will be minutes. There will be portions that will have to go into executive session, like when we consider resumes. Preliminary screening committees, like the search committee, are permitted to go into executive session if the chair declares that an open meeting will have a detrimental effect in obtaining qualified applicants, according to the Open Meeting Law. The entire process of the Interim Police Chief Advisory Committee was exempt from the OML because it was serving as an advisory committee to an authority (in this case, the town manager) who could have made the decision at his or her sole discretion.