Lanesborough Police Chief Stresses Need for Resources
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Police Chief Robert Derksen, citing a week of incidents, emphasized the need for law enforcement resources.
In a Tuesday press release, he called attention to an assault, domestic incident, and stabbing that happened within the last week — and the lack of officers to deal with them.
"Two of the incidents occurred while only one patrol officer was working, which is most of the time, including the most serious incident, which the officer responded to by himself and handled alone until I was able to call additional officers in from off-duty to assist, because no backup was available," he wrote in the communication posted to the Lanesborough Police Facebook page.
Derksen said he was writing because of talk over the Baker Hill Road District running out of money as the result of delinquent taxes on the Berkshire Mall.
"Our staffing at the Police Department is not dependent or as a result of the mall being opened or closed," he said. "Yes, the Baker Hill Road District gives funding to the town for two police officers, and if that funding were to discontinue, it does not change the necessity of those officers."
The police chief said the employment of those officers "was never about them being assigned to the mall, it was simply a supplemental source of revenue for the town." He continued that staffing for the Police Department was critical to its ability to operate 24/7.
"Any loss of staffing would require a catastrophic reduction of services to the town and without those officers, we would no longer be able to provide a midnight shift," he wrote. "The math is simple, we have [three] shifts, if you take away a third of the funding, we lose a shift."
Derksen offered a recap of the last few days in Lanesborough:
On July 16, the officers responded to an assault and attempted robbery on Route 8. The 22-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with assault and battery and attempt to commit a robbery. Later that night, there was a domestic incident on Cheshire Road with reported object throwing and choking. A 19-year-old was arrested and charged with assault and battery, strangulation, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
On the evening of July 18, police responded to a reported stabbing at a local campground and found that two other adults had been stabbed, one in the upper torso and the other in the chest. Both victims were transported to Berkshire Medical Center. A Connecticut man is facing assault charges and is being held.
At the annual town meeting, voters approved a $629,524 Police Department budget, $322,825 for the "Police Baker Hill Road District" line, and $143,985 for the "DPW Baker Hill Road District" line.
The road district is an independent municipal district within the town with a governing body that oversees the maintenance of the Route 7 to Route 8 Connector road as a public way. It is charged with ensuring the timely payment of the Berkshire Mall's bond and that the mall meets obligations to the community regardless of ownership.
A December 2024 lawsuit filed by the road district seeks $524,122 from the mall owner JMJ Holdings, plus accrued interest for taxes due in May 2024. JMJ has demanded a jury trial, saying it has no contract with road district and that the BHRD is acting outside its legal authority.
"The Baker Hill Road District is continuing its efforts to meet its obligations to the town so that there will be no immediate or long-term interruption or reduction in services," said the district's attorney Mark W. Siegars.
Derksen said the district's contribution will always be just a supplemental revenue source for the town, but the two officers were never extra.
"I cannot emphasize this enough: the needs and expenses of the Police Department, do not change, whether or not the Baker Hill Road District pays or even exists," wrote Derksen, who pointed out the department once had as many as 15 part-time officers but now only has two.
(Changes in state law regarding qualifications for part-time officers has dramatically reduced their numbers).
"Supplementing shifts with cheaper part-time officers are no longer an option," he continued. "This is not an endorsement for the Baker Hill Road District, it is simply a statement of fact, the current funding for the Police Department is critical and necessary, regardless of the source.
"Any one of these incidents could have been much worse, if not for the immediate response and apprehension of the suspects by the responding officers."
A request for comment from town officials was not yet returned.
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