February 28, 2024

“On motion by Councillor Abreu and seconded by Councillor Burgo, the Committee VOTED: To recommend that the City Council take “NO FURTHER ACTION” on the following items: WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Gomes, requesting, that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods meet with Police Chief Cordeiro and a representative from the Mayor’s office to discuss the immediate implementation of Active Threat Resolution training for all Officers, requesting also a list of all specially trained officers within the department, these Officers with the special training and certification can be used to train other Officers within the department; and further, that training immediately go into effect making our department ready for possible active shooter situations, also known as the Active Shooter Response Team; and further, that the Police Department provide the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods with a list of schools and City public buildings that have received ALICE Training (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuation) teaching staff what their options are if there is an active threat situation. (Referred – February 22, 2018.) (May 21, 2018 – tabled) (November 29, 2018 – tabled 90 days) (May 22, 2019 – tabled) Public Safety and Neighborhood Committee February 28, 2024 WRITTEN MOTION, Council President Lopes, requesting that a member of the Mitchell Administration, the Police Chief, the Fire Chief, the EMS Director, the New Bedford Police Union and the New Bedford Fire Union meet with the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods to discuss the implementation and protection of Qualified Immunity language for the members of the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the Emergency Medical Service. (Referred – August 20, 2020.) (October 14, 2020 – VOTE: Have the City Council draft a letter to our State Delegation voicing the Council’s position against the proposed Qualified Immunity Proposition; tabled) (October 26, 2020 – letter sent to State Delegation, as requested.) (May 20, 2021 – tabled 90 days) WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Dunn, Abreu, Council President Lopes, Councillors Giesta, Lima, Carney, Markey, Gomes and Baptiste, requesting, that Police Chief Cordeiro, Public Information Officer Scott Carola and Police Union President Turgeon be invited to a meeting of the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods to discuss providing the Council and public with a weekly crime report with up to date statistics on violent crime, property crime, and other crime, the crime data should be compiled both in a Citywide and Ward specific format; and further, the report should show trends based on previous weeks. (Referred – February 25, 2021.) (March 24, 2021 – tabled; MOTION made that the Chief provide the Committee by email a weekly crime report; RELATED MOTION made that the Chief and Public Information Officer ask for an explanation of discrepancies between City’s crime to FBI and City’s budget.) (October 26, 2022 – tabled) WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Lima and Gomes, requesting, that Executive Secretary/Parking Clerk Laurie Alfonso brief the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods on the application that was submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, specifically, the MassDOT Safety Equipment Grant application which details “proposed speed transition zones” in the following areas: East Beach, Victory Park/Clegg Field Baseball Complex, West Beach, Downtown Elm Street Parking Garage, Buttonwood Park, Riverside Park. (Referred – May 12, 2022.) (October 26, 2022 – tabled) COMMUNICATION, Councillor Lima, submitting maps detailing the “Proposed Speed Transition Zones.” (Referred – May 12, 2022.) (October 26, 2022 – tabled) WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Pereira and Gomes, requesting that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods meet in executive session pursuant to exemption #4 of the Open Meeting Law ("To discuss the deployment of security personnel or devices, or strategies with respect thereto,") for the purpose of exploring with the Administration and Police Department the availability of certain security equipment and/or other devices that may not be currently provided that could serve to provide enhanced security. (Referred – June 23, 2022.) (September 28, 2022 – Entered into Executive Session and at the completion of discussion the Committee did not reconvene but adjourned in Executive Session.) WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Lima, Gomes, Dunn, Giesta, and Carney, requesting that Fire Chief Scott Kruger, Inspectional Services Commissioner Danny Romanowicz, Planning Director Jennifer Carloni, Environmental Stewardship Director Michele Paul, and Health Director Damon Chaplin, come before the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods to discuss the conditions that caused the fire at Bob’s Tire Co., 55 Brook Street, on July 7, 2022, to apprise the Committee on the three inspection summary reports that were prepared on February 5, 2021 relative to Bob’s Tire Company, F & B Tire, and Pearl Street Tire, and to update the Committee on the Administration’s intentions relative to ensuring that the aforementioned tire companies are in compliance with City Codes and Ordinances, as well as State and Federal Regulations. (Referred – July 21, 2022.) (October 26, 2022 – tabled) Public Safety and Neighborhood Committee February 28, 2024 WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Pereira, Morad, Lima, Giesta, Carney, Baptiste, Council President Abreu and Councillor Gomes, requesting, that Jana Linhart, Project Services Manager, Eversource Energy and Anthony Veilleux, Community Relations Representative, Eversource Energy, appear before the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods, to discuss the "Eversource Energy Acushnet to New Bedford Line Maintenance Project", said project is proposed to replace an existing transmission line from the Beech Street Substation in Acushnet to the Pine Street Substation in New Bedford; and further, the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods intends to discuss with the representatives of Eversource Energy the deplorable condition of New Bedford streets resulting from the company's previous projects and routine maintenance of underground transmission lines and equipment. (To be Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods, the Department of Public Infrastructure, Eversource Energy and a member of our State Legislative Delegation.) (Referred – October 13, 2022.) (October 28, 2022 – RETURNED UNSIGNED by the Mayor.) (November 21, 2022 – VOTE: Requesting that when the Eversource Energy Acushnet to New Bedford Maintenance Project Line that replaces the existing transmission line from the Beech Street Substation in Acushnet to the Pine Street Station in New Bedford, that a Memorandum of Understanding and a full Safety Plan be negotiated between Eversource Energy and the City of New Bedford, and that the Committee on Public Safety & Neighborhoods review and have final approval of said Memorandum of Understanding and Safety Plan; tabled) WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Pereira, Council President Abreu and Councillors Giesta and Lima, requesting that the Director of Emergency Management and Anthony Veilleux or a representative with Eversource Electric appear before the Committee on Appointments & Briefings to discuss the power outage issues that continuously occur in the southern portion of the South End peninsula. (Referred – November 22, 2022.) (Matter ID #1959) (April 10, 2023 – tabled) WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Gomes, requesting that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods meet with Police Chief Paul Oliveira, Lt. Evan Bielski from the New Bedford Police Union, a representative from the Mitchell Administration and the Massachusetts State Police Interim Lt. Colonel John E. Mawn, Jr. or a representative from the Massachusetts State Police Dartmouth Barracks to discuss the Police Department’s decreasing staffing levels, the level of staffing not only jeopardizes the Police Officers that serve the City each and every day along with constituency it protects and serves; and further, that letters be sent to the Police Chiefs of Fairhaven, Acushnet and Dartmouth, notifying them of the short staffing within our department, and further, requesting mutual aid assistance if needed in an emergency, furthermore, that the Administration explain how it’s addressing this issue that has left the City in a crisis situation. (Referred – February 23, 2023.) (Matter ID #0355) (March 08, 2023 – tabled) (Matter #1959).” (Motion: Abreu, second: Burgo)

Read it in the official minutes, page 5 (PDF)