By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Greenfield, MA) The Greenfield Police Department has reinstated the two cruisers that were taken off the road in May due to rising fuel costs and impending budget cuts.
In May, four cruisers with one officer in each were reduced to two cruisers with two officers in each. The impact of this was reduced response time and fewer patrols possible. As fuel costs have come down, the department brought one cruiser back in September and the other back in October.
Since the $400,000 budget cuts to the department’s salary line that threatened the jobs of an estimated seven officers this summer, Deputy Chief Gordon, who was acting chief over the summer, and Chief Robert Haigh have not had to make any layoffs. Although they have not had to make layoffs, the department did lose three officers and two more expected to leave in 2023, along with a few potential retirements.