MEDFIELD, Mass. — Two Medfield police officers are on paid administrative leave while the department investigates reports of officers sleeping on the job and hiding out to avoid patrols.
But the local police union says those officers are being unfairly singled out and pointed the finger at Police Chief Michelle Guerette for keeping the department understaffed.
“The Chief of Police has compromised our ability to fulfill this commitment properly by allowing staffing to fall so low that officers are routinely forced into double shifts multiple times per week,” the Medfield Police League said in part. “This a dangerous practice that places officers at risk and reduces the effectiveness of patrol shifts. Over the past few years, this practice has been continued by Chief Guerette and has resulted in officers becoming completely exhausted.”
“[Guerette] is currently attempting to terminate two dedicated officers without progressive discipline or prior warning,” the statement continued.
In a letter Tuesday evening, the Medfield Board of Selectmen said an Internal Affairs investigation was opened in March into allegations of misconduct, particularly during the midnight shift. This included officers sleeping for more than five hours on an eight-hour shift and concealing themselves around the station to keep from going on active patrols.
Selectmen called this practice “reactive policing” and claims the union supports such an approach.
“The Town and the Chief believe in the value of proactive policing,” the letter stated in part. “Patrolling our streets, protecting our homes, stopping drunk drivers, and preventing local businesses from being broken into overnight is the standard of safety that Medfield residents deserve. The actions of the union make it clear that they do not share our values of proactive policing.”
Several members of the police department resigned at the start of the investigation, according to the letter.
The union says Guerette has made no attempt to fix staffing issues within the department, instead launching an “inappropriate” investigation targeting union officials who brought attention to the issue. Since Guerette joined the department in 2019, 12 police officers and six dispatchers have resigned, according to the union. That leaves 12 active officers, two of whom are now on leave.
Town officials pushed back against the narrative that officers are overworked under Guerette’s leadership. Selectmen say officers worked fewer overtime shifts in the most recent fiscal year than in any of the preceding six fiscal years.
Department policy requires shifts to first be offered on a voluntary basis. If no one volunteers, officers will be ordered to cover the shift.
“Since beginning the narrative that officers should be allowed to sleep on the midnight shift, the union has engaged in a concerted pattern of refusing voluntary overtime to ‘create’ a force,” the letter alleges.
Citing national and local policing standards, the Medfield Police League says the department should have at least 22 officers. It calls the current staffing level a “public safety crisis.”
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