New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
By Tom Dowd
By now it is common knowledge around the town of Dartmouth what has befallen upon the Police station. On March 10th stories quickly surfaced of an officer at the department being diagnosed with a form of Legionnaires Disease, a disease caused by the bacteria Legionella and commonly causes pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The bacteria was found in the water heating system, which called for an immediate shut down of the building, resulting in what the department has been dealing with even today. The Police force of the Town of Dartmouth has been working out of RV’s and through the help of the State Police has been conducting, to the best of their ability, all duties as they would. For 6 months now the Dartmouth Police have been dealing with this obstacle, and I looked into how it’s affecting the morale of the very people that protect my town.
“If we were fairly paid, this would be no more than an inconvenience,” said Officer Paul Arruda, a veteran officer of 21 years with the Town of Dartmouth. “The stabilization fund keeps going up,” says Arruda, “and we aren’t seeing any of it.” The Police Department here in Dartmouth has been functioning as a self-represented, self-bargaining organization since their last town contract in 2009, which basically means that they are not receiving funding necessary for the running of the station. While the union for the Police have been pushing for better pay, the town continually refuses the department a contract, forcing them to wage their own salaries through taxes and through the administration of the department. This leaves little room for improvement in facilities and equipment.
“The Town of Dartmouth is unique in that it contains a college, a mall, and two interstates,” said Public Informations Officer Kyle Costa. There is a lot of space to be covered by the Police, and the effect on morale from the contract disagreement and this 6 month road bump is only amplified when you factor in the past of the Dartmouth Police Station. “The station is a very old building, even after it was renovated years ago there was sometimes mold and mildew floating around,” said Officer Arruda. When asked if this could be the cause of the Legionella infection, the answer was an indefinite yes.
The Dartmouth Police Department is currently very underpaid and underappreciated by many people in the town. There is much unrest when speaking of the police in this area, which is common when there’s talk of cops. But this police station is working hard to appease the large town, while silently battling their own difficulties.
Seems like a common trend, i. The communities in this area. Westport included
I have nothing but respect for our police of this town. But being a local mechanic while listening to a couple of them as they swig down 8-10 beers as I work on their personal vehicles for 5 bucks an hour before they head out to drink and drive??? Telling me how they covered for a friend years ago that was off duty, headed to a second job he was late for, ran a red light, hurt someone severely( or killed them?!) and they covered it up saying he was responding- which he was not!!!!!! – only to find out its costing us 1 million in tax payer dollars per year. Our town. Well do I cry over this? no.They are compensated way more than new bedford police and I for one would rather deal with Mall issues and speeders than killers and thugs and rapists. what is your response to this?
To all those people people who pass judgment on the people who protect the safety of the town of Dartmouth. Every call they respond to could be there last. And the danger they deal with, most would run from. Still they protect the people in the town. Day in and day out, every holiday and while we sleep they are on patrol doing there job. Keep that in mind when you criticize the police that protect you rights, safety, and well being.
Stop using pity. We all appreciate and respect officers but just say that you want a raise because you want a raise. In most towns the highest paid public employees tend to be police officers.
Pity isn’t being used, its been years since the police officers received a raise, while every thing else has gone up. All while other town employees have been getting raises. I was always taught to have have pride in the town I live in, in the past years it seems that a select few hold to the same virtue. Isn’t about time we get together and right the wronged that has been going on. Or has the golden rule been forgotten.
To “Upset Citizen”: Take the civil service exam and get on the police department in Dartmouth so that your pay will go up to $6 per hour!
Det. Kyle Costa has been a fair and just person, despite the fact he is a cop i respect his strength and pray him and his family get their just compensation for the depts lack of respect for a healthy work environment. As a resident of south dartmouth it’s crazy to imagine that even the police have problems beyond their control ! Smh. – Damond Normandin