Melrose Police Prioritizes Community Engagement
By Patrick DeVivo
Police officers often ride with the Melrose Bike Buses
Photo From Melrose Police
Even in these lean times for the city budget, Melrose Police Chief Kevin Faller is still looking for ways to increase the department’s visibility at community events and foster positive interactions between officers and community members.
When Faller arrived as the city’s new police chief in 2022, he brought with him a commitment to greater police engagement with the community. Recently, Officer John Doherty came forward with the idea of forming a committee within the police department to support, plan, and carry out initiatives that help build bridges with the community. When this proposal was put before the full department, there was overwhelming support.
To Chief Faller’s delight, officers embraced the need to increase community engagement as an essential part of their jobs. “I was pleased that John proposed the committee and that the idea got spontaneous support from the whole group,” said Faller. “The officers didn’t see this as an additional assignment requiring a special unit, but more as something to integrate into the jobs they already perform.”
Two sergeants, Alex Barranco and Nikolaus Macintosh, chair the Community Engagement Committee. There is a core group of about twelve officers who are most active in contributing ideas and bringing them to fruition. Proposals are vetted by the Sergeants and presented to Chief Faller or to Lieutenant Paul Norton for final approval. If an idea is approved, the individual or individuals who first brought it forward are responsible for carrying out a specific plan.
Junior Police Academy is a favorite annual event for many Melrose kids
Photo From Melrose Police
“The committee structure is informal, said Chief Faller. “Some officers may have priorities outside of work that don’t allow them to participate as much as others, and that’s fine. We want them to support the committee and participate when they can.”
One form of community engagement is live, hands-on training for residents, teaching specific personal safety skills and practices. RADKids is a program sponsored by the Melrose Police that is designed for children ages 8 to 11 and covers topics such as bullying prevention, physical resistance to attempted abductions, stopping child predators, and internet safety. RADKids sessions are being planned for November and December. Information about the exact times and location will be forthcoming.
Another form of community engagement involves sponsoring events like the recent outdoor screening of the movie Hocus Pocus at Hesseltine Field behind the Horace Mann School. This family event was free and open to all Melrose residents. The event allowed residents and officers to interact and get to know each other. It was a chance for police officers to be associated with a positive, family-friendly event, and it offered the opportunity break down barriers and stereotypes and strengthen the confidence that residents have in their police department, while providing officers with a better understanding of the issues most important to the community.
In the past, the Melrose Police Department has participated in National Night Out, which is part of a nationwide effort to promote community engagement. This year, budget and staffing challenges prevented the Melrose Police from being able to hold a single, large event like National Night Out, so they have focused on smaller events this year instead.
Chief Faller, left, started a podcast on MMTV called Behind the Badge as another form of community engagement
Photo From Melrose Police
Chief Faller pointed out that participating in community engagement activities also increases each officer’s job satisfaction and lessens burnout. Providing opportunities to initiate and follow through on projects that are positive and preventive enriches the job and reduces the stress from everyday law enforcement work. Officers become empowered to contribute ideas that have a direct and positive impact on the department and the community.
Job enrichment has been another of the Chief’s priorities. “Like any healthy relationship, there needs to be transparency and trust arising out of some degree of regular communication and interaction,” said Chief Faller. “It’s the same with the relationship between a community’s residents and its police. We know that if the underlying confidence in the relationship is lacking, it makes it much more difficult to handle the dangerous challenges when they arise.”
For more information about the Melrose Police Department’s Community Engagement efforts, you can contact Chief Kevin Faller at kfaller@ccityofmelrose.org.
