By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
Photo by Leverett Police Department
(Leverett, MA) Leverett Police Chief Scott Minckler is working in a small department in a small Franklin County community that seems a far cry from Boston or New York City. Even though there have been no known instances of excessive use of force or accusations of racism by his police officers, Winker said one of his own officers experienced racism from the community he serves, although the details are not clear because the incident happened before his time as captain.
“Leverett is a small tight knit community where the police call volume is on the lower side,” said Minckler.
Major crimes in Leverett are few and far between, although there was an attempted murder this Christmas. Day to day calls include alarms, traffic complaints, domestic assault and battery calls, traffic accidents, and medical emergencies. Leverett officers still undergo 40 hours of mandatory training each year, and officers can request additional training on a specific topic. In terms of recruitment, Minckler said he tries to recruit people locally who know the community and who know the area.
“The officers here are fine people and good cops. I am confident in the abilities and their levels of training,” said Minckler.
Minckler also said that he expects about five weapon discharge reports will cross his desk in a year for the entire department, but those reports are usually to put down a sick or injured animal. Even if the officer discharged his weapon to put down an animal, a report still must be filed.
“We have a lot of deer get hit by cars in this town and we have to put them down sometimes,” said Minckler.
Minckler thinks that officer training is the key to proper de-escalation techniques that prevent use of force abuses that have been seen in larger cities in recent weeks.
“We use community policing to reach out to the public and get to know our residents which helps us deescalate situations because we have good
communication with the residents,” said Minckler.
The Leverett Police Department over all works towards a mindset of equality and works to treat everyone as equals.
“I don’t want to have to use my firearm, my taser, my baton or even pepper spray. They are there if I need them to keep me or the public safe. So
when I hear police brutality I know something went terribly wrong,” he said.
Public perception of excessive use of force by police is a little harder for Minckler to get a hold of.
“It’s hard to speak about how other people think when they hear police brutality. There are so many opinions out there that I’m not going to try and guess how people feel about police brutality,” said Minckler.
The Leverett Police Department does have language resources available for any non English speaking suspect who is picked up by the department. Officers from around the area who are fluent in a second language are one way Minckler provides language services. If there is no officer available, there are resources throughout the Law Enforcement community and the District Attorney’s office will help to find a translator if needed.