Pittsfield Police Department Announces Citizen Police Academy

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Police Department has announced its spring 2025 Citizen Police Academy session.

The academy aims to provide community members with information about department operations and contemporary policing issues.

The department is seeking applications from citizens, volunteers, community-policing partners, business leaders, students, and educators. The class size is limited to 20 participants.

Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., beginning April 30 and concluding June 18, 2025. Classes will take place at the Pittsfield Police Department and Berkshire Community College.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and reside or work in Pittsfield. All applicants will undergo a criminal history background check, and certain prior criminal offenses may result in disqualification.

Interested individuals can contact Sgt. Shaun Gariepy via email at [email address removed] to request an application and recruitment materials. Applications are also available at the police station's front lobby.

The application deadline is Monday, April 18, 2025.

Applications can be submitted in person at Pittsfield Police Department Headquarters, via email to sgariepy@cityofpittsfield.org, or by mail to 39 Allen Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.

Applicants not selected for the spring session will be placed on a waiting list for future classes.

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough OKs Open Space Plan, Short-Term Rental Forms

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday set fees for short-term rentals and adopted an Open Space and Recreation Plan.
 
Town Administrator Gina Dario discussed the draft for STR registration and certificate of inspection since the new bylaws were passed at the annual town meeting.
 
The draft shows the process to file for inspection through Permit Eyes, the town's online permitting system that includes the state building code and safety requirements. Dario said members of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and the building commissioner looked at other town models to come up with the best process for registration.
 
Inspections will be annually for non-owner occupied units and five years for owner-occupied. The inspection fee is a flat $50. The last suggestion discussed was the posting requirements for key information.
 
Dario said they looked at about four other communities on how they used non-sensitive information on owner contacts. Chair Deborah Maynard motioned to have the information posted both inside and out to help with law enforcement if needed.
 
"I'm going to make a motion that we put that relevant information not only on the inside of the short-term rental but on the outside, so if the police need to respond, ambulance needs to respond, fire especially needs to respond, all that information is there, nobody has to go searching for it," she said. "If push comes to shove, and it's a matter of minutes, that's going to make a big, a big difference in the outcome of the incident."
 
The board then heard a presentation from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's community planner Andrew McKeever and Open Space and Recreation Committee Vice Chair Mark Hawthorne.
 
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