Pittsfield Police Advisory Board Postpones Listening Session
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Police Advisory and Review Board has postponed a listening session that was scheduled for February because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.
In an effort to engage with the community, the board planned to hold an in-person session to hear the public's experiences with the Pittsfield Police Department. It was intended to take place during the first or third week of February at the First Baptist Church on South Street.
Chair Ellen Maxon at the board's January meeting asked the Rev. Sheila Sholes-Ross, a board member and pastor of First Baptist, if she would still feel comfortable hosting the meeting. Sholes-Ross said she is not at the moment but will see if it is plausible in the future.
For almost two years, PARB has felt stunted by the COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to community outreach. Established almost three years ago, the board's purpose is to be a channel of communication between the public and the police.
In a November memo to Mayor Linda Tyer and the City Council, PARB members said they have reached a "critical juncture." A majority of its members have opted not to serve a second term and vacancies have not been filled, residents are not coming forward with complaints, and one member feels the board is "just a rubber stamp for the Police Department."
The communication stressed that the panel needed to hear from the public more.
That same month, Maxon decided that PARB meetings will follow a different format for the next six months with the hope of improving outreach.
Member Michael Feldberg hopes that the delay can be used for preparation.
"The more I think about it, the less prepared I feel we are as a group to walk into a meeting," he said. "And in some ways, I'm relieved that this is being postponed, not canceled but postponed, and I'm hoping we can take advantage of the time to think through exactly what we want to come out of it."
Feldberg also mentioned the possibility of people ranting.
Sholes-Ross agreed but added that it is the moderator's job to keep the conversation on a productive track.
Member Erin Sullivan suggested having the listening session structured differently than other meetings.
"I'm not quite sure if keeping that type of structure for the meeting is going to lead to change, so if we're continuing to do things as things have always been done, is that really going to lead to change?" she said.
"So, in particular, with the listening sessions, I would really want to look at the structure of even where we sit, who sits first, all of those different things to really to level the playing field and make it a place that it will look like they're going to be heard as well as that they actually will be heard."
Member Alfred Barbalunga suggested having a gatekeeper consult directly with the public and alleviate the fear of retaliation.
"I just wonder if we could give some thought at the next meeting to maybe a gatekeeper to keep the initial foray from a complainant anonymous and have that person sort of directed out or give guidance to the complaint," he said.
"I have a feeling we go to that meeting, it's going to be that there aren't that many complaints or the ones that are, the people are reluctant to come forward, so that's my thought on some possible gatekeeper position to review what's going on with the complainant to have an impartial discussion with him or him or her but whether they should pursue it or not."
In other news, Police Chief Michael Wynn reported that he is losing two-thirds of his senior command staff in the next couple of months due to retirements. To remedy this, Wynn made a series of temporary promotions with Tyer's approval.
There are also support vacancies in the administrative staff and the department has a patrol staffing issue that has been present for some time.
The board will meet again on Feb. 15, which will be the last meeting for outgoing members Ivan Victoriano-Fontes and the Rev. Sloan T. Letman IV. Sholes-Ross, who will not be at the meeting, has also completed her term.
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