Canton Police Department wants a mobile firing range, more vehicles, ballistic shields

The Canton police chief is requesting more than $750,000 to add new vehicles, a mobile firing range to lessen quality-of-life disturbances, and ballistic shields to protect officers when encountering an active shooter.

Chief Helena Rafferty made her pitch to the Select Board for three requests totaling $760,986 to be budgeted with capital funding: the mobile firing range at the top at $392,786, four new marked vehicles at $284,000, and nine ballistic shields with ports at $84,200, Rafferty said. The chief is also looking to reallocate $117,064 for a new record management system.

Officers have used a local outdoor firing range for firearms training that is required to be completed at least twice a year to remain certified under the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

“The competition with other PDs to find available time at the outdoor ranges is very difficult,” Rafferty said, “but this mobile range would allow us to (use it) 24/7. It’s soundproof and obviously climate-controlled which makes a better teaching environment for both the student and instructor.”

“This would be huge,” she added, “as it would negate the need to affect the quality of life of the many residents around the outdoor range we have to use when we do night firing. It disturbs the residents.”

Rafferty said she sees the mobile range — a trailer that would be located behind the station — being a “revenue producer” as it could be rented out to other departments that don’t have newer facilities with indoor ranges.

Select Board Chairman Mike Loughran said he agrees that the mobile range could be beneficial.

“I’m glad you’re thinking of the revenue stream because that was the first thing I was thinking of, too,” he told Rafferty.

Purchasing ballistic shields would add “another layer of protection” when officers, equipped with ballistic vests encounter an active shooter situation, the chief said.

The only pressing question from the board came from member Trish Boyden when she asked how often the police department responds to active shooter calls.

“How many do we have? Annually, thank God, none so far,” Rafferty said. “We have had firearms issues, we have had suicidal people.”

“You could use this if you had somebody that had a mental illness,” the chief added. “We have, as you know because I send you guys the report every month, a lot of mental illness calls.”

The Select Board in late June approved a one-year contract, instead of three, for Rafferty who has led the police department since being promoted in June 2022. Members emphasized how the dust needs to settle from the Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore cases and cited an ongoing $200,000 audit of the department.

Rafferty, who made $212,524.54 in total pay last year, finds herself in own legal issues after crashing into and injuring a Wrentham resident in February. “At that time, I answered questions, and upon my request took a breathalyzer test which read 0.0% blood alcohol content,” she said in an April letter to the community.

Rafferty did not immediately respond to a Herald inquiry on the status of body cameras in the department.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/JovMbst