ADAMS, Mass. — Police Chief Richard Tarsa updated the Selectmen last week on some of the improvements and changes in the department, including a live-scan fingerprinting device.
Tarsa told the board on Wednesday that because of the way the Adams Police Department conducts sex offender registrations, it was one of four departments in the state to receive the $30,000 device.
"We take care of it in Adams in an efficient matter and do so appropriately and properly," Tarsa said. "Because of our impeccable record keeping, they titled us as one of the four recipients."
Tarsa said the department has had the scanner and affiliated equipment for some time now and officers have been trained in how to use it.
Instead of taking a print on a card and scanning it, the new device can get results much quicker. He said in some cases the scanner gathers results in five minutes.
"It is almost instantaneous, and it is a huge benefit," he said.
Tarsa said the department will receive another $10,000 enforcement grant for speeding prevention. He said some of this will go towards new radars for the cruisers.
"Unfortunately, it is a fast-paced society and we are getting nowhere fast," Tarsa said. "We have been experiencing an increase in speeding complaints and I hate to say it but ... it is not people from out of town, it is the people that live in the problem areas, but we have been stepping it up and this will help."
Tarsa added that cameras have been installed in all cruisers and he also expects the new cruiser that town meeting cleared for purchase will be delivered soon.
"It is in the final stages of being built and I expect a call any day now in regards to its delivery," he said.
Tarsa added that the Adams Police Department also now carries Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an overdose due to opioids.
"We have been carrying that now for a few months and recently deployed it successfully a few days ago," he said.
Also, Tarsa said the Adams Police Association is once again holding a toy drive and residents can drop off donations or toys at the station.
In other business, the Selectmen voted to allow free holiday parking downtown until Jan. 1.
This sparked discussion about the meters themselves and Selectman Joseph Nowak said he heard from residents that the meters are always jammed and unusable.
Tarsa said because of the design of the meters, they often get jammed if people do not put coins in the right way. He said every few weeks an officer collects the coins and clears jams.
Nowak added that he felt the police did not have enough of a presence downtown so people just don’t feed the meter.
"I surmised they are not getting filled up because people realized they can get away with it," he said. "It’s mostly locals and this has been a point of contention with this board."
Tarsa said part of the issue is staffing and even though he plans to hire five reserve officers he has to wait for the state to dissolve the town's affiliation with Civil Service, which town meeting agreed to leave in order to make it easier to hire police officers.
"It is currently in the House and has passed the Senate ... it is a formal process and I will be honest with you, this is a time consuming and very frustrating process," he said. "But once I get those five reserve officers you will see more of a presence on the street."
Nowak said he felt there were plenty of opportunities for the current officers to get out of their cruisers and walk the beat.
"I don’t know if that is legitimate in my thinking because I am around town a lot and I see the officers, and they do a great job, but I also see them and think they have time to get out of their cruisers and go up and down the street," Nowak said. "I think they could do it if they really wanted to."
Tarsa said he partially agreed and noted he recently sent a memo to his officers that they will spend 15 to 20 minutes walking downtown near their cruisers to increase street presence. He said many communities practice this and if there is an emergency, the officer is not far from their cruiser.
Tarsa said an issue arises with call volume and the town has seen an increase of calls during the day and the officers sometimes just don’t have time.
"I can tell you the numbers are up especially with vehicle citations and arrests during the day," he said. "The day shift numbers have increased dramatically."
He added that without dispatchers, sergeants now work the desk, which means the officers have to do all of their own reporting and that can take hours.
Tarsa said although there are challenges, community policing is important to Adams and the department is working towards being better at it.
"It is community policing 101 and it is something that we have advocated for before I was on the job and we will continue to advocate for it after me," he said. "It is what we do here and it has always worked for Adams and will continue to work for Adams."
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Adams Sees No Races So Far
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election.
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office, as the future of our town lies within the younger generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
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