To the Editor:

The Hinsdale Select Board recently claimed they are "flabbergasted" by the Dalton Police Department's decision to suspend mutual aid. This public display of confusion is staggering. It reveals a severe lack of leadership and a deep disconnect from the established facts.

Dalton did not make a rash or emotional choice. They made a strict, calculated decision to protect their own officers. Dalton leadership clearly stated their reasons. They cited deep concerns about officer safety, trust, training consistency, and post-incident accountability. These are massive red flags for any law enforcement agency.

These concerns stem directly from the fatal shooting of Biagio Kauvil. During this tragic event, Hinsdale command staff failed to follow their own policies. We saw poor judgment, tactical errors, and clear supervisory failures. When a police department breaks its own rules, it places both the public and responding officers at strict risk. No responsible outside agency will subject its own team to a command structure that lacks basic operational competence.

For elected officials to look at a preventable tragedy, clear policy violations, and the swift withdrawal of a neighboring agency, yet still claim confusion, shows willful blindness. If the Select Board cannot recognize the obvious institutional failures staring them in the face, they disqualify themselves from providing meaningful oversight.

We cannot accept leaders who dismiss documented failures and deflect blame. We must demand true accountability. The real problem is not that Dalton withdrew its support. The real problem is a Hinsdale leadership team that refuses to face its own failures.

Scott McGowan
Williamstown Mass.