AMHERST — Calls for cutting the town’s Police Department budget nearly in half and using the savings to turn the unarmed community responders department into an around-the-clock operation are again being made to the Town Council.

But Police Chief Scott Livingstone said that cutting the police force is unrealistic even if call volume drops, and would lead to the loss of community relations officers, overnight staffing and in-depth investigations. Town Manager Paul Bockelman echoed the chief, saying he doesn’t anticipate a reduction.

At Monday’s hearing on the town’s proposed $93.46 million budget plan for fiscal 2024, both oral and written comments from the public mostly centered on cutting the police force, which has become a common appeal since George Floyd was murdered by police officers in Minneapolis in 2020.

“I’m asking you to move money out of the APD budget so our town can more fully invest in alternatives to policing,” said Zoe Crabtree, a District 5 resident and organizer of the Defund413 movement in town.

The proposed budget includes $5.15 million for police, with $4.82 million for personnel services, and $641,520 for the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service, with $618,520 for personnel services.

Crabtree said that CRESS, which became operational last summer, is already handling many calls for service before even being dispatched to 911 calls, yet is only 12% the size of the Police Department, and only 23% the size of the department envisioned by the Community Safety Working Group.

Allegra Clark, a District 2 resident who chairs the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee, said her hope is that CRESS will be a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operation soon. To accomplish this, Amherst will need to reallocate police funding.

“We are requesting that be done to the tune of 47% of the personnel budget of the Amherst Police Department,” Clark said. “Again, fund CRESS, not cops.”

But at a Finance Committee on May 12, in response to a question from At Large Town Councilor Ellisha Walker, Livingstone said the expectation from some in Amherst that police staffing, currently budgeted at 46 officers, can be cut if call volume is reduced is unrealistic.

Livingstone said calls are just one factor in the needs for the department. Even as college student behavior has gotten better in recent years, and fewer parties and day drinks with 1,000 or more students are taking place, that doesn’t diminish what police need to do, he said.

Three officers need to be on patrol at all times in downtown and the southern and northern parts of town, the three sectors of town, he said. In addition, two officers are mandated to respond to certain calls, such as domestic disturbances. and having extra personnel on 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. on weekends, the busiest times for the department, is already done via overtime.

Livingstone observed that Hadley has three officers on patrol at all times, while the University of Massachusetts has five on patrol.

“We’ve had three officer patrols for probably 30 years,” Livingstone said. “It’s been a long time since it’s been that status quo.”

Bockelman said the advantage of CRESS is that responders can spend more time with people and possibly intercept some 911 calls that would otherwise go to police. Like Livingstone, though, he doesn’t anticipate reducing the police force.

“It’s about fixing a static number of slots you need to fill,” Bockelman said.

“I hope we get to the point where CRESS is handling some of our calls, but I don’t think we would get to the point where would be able to eliminate a police officer from working,” Livingstone said.

Were the department to go below 46 officers, Livingstone said the community relations officers would be lost, along with overnight staffing and in-depth investigations.

“There would be no midnight shift, there would be no detective bureau,” Livingstone said.

At that meeting, too, Council President Lynn Griesemer noted that if Amherst became a part-time department, state police officers who don’t know the town would be patrolling, while At Large Councilor Andy Steinberg said he feels the department is already stretched to a point where police can’t be a 24/7 department, especially if there are any more cuts.

Meanwhile, at the budget hearing, Clark also asked that the elementary schools get a $26.02 million budget as requested by the School Committee, or $84,000 more than the $25.93 million recommended by the Town Council. This money could help offset layoffs of library paraeducators.

Crabtree also questioned the $225,000 in the capital improvement plan that would purchase three hybrid electric police cruisers.

“I’m in full support of the move to create an operating budget to operationalize the town’s climate action plan, but greenwashing the police is not the solution,” Crabtree said

Birdy Newman, a District 3 resident, made an appeal in writing to support initiatives like CRESS, as well as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department and outreach to Black, Indigenous and people of color residents.

“I believe that it is crucial to move money out of policing and into alternative response services (CRESS) as well as agencies that can proactively promote justice and community in our town (DEI, a Youth Empowerment Center, and a BIPOC Cultural Center),” Newman wrote.

Lauren Mills of South Amherst said she would like to see the youth empowerment center established along with programs associated with it, though her appeal asked the town to fund these through any remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds available.

The budget is currently going through review by the Finance Committee, which is meeting twice weekly with department heads, and will bring a recommendation to the Town Council for a vote next month.

The lone comment on the budget from a town councilor came from District 3’s Dorothy Pam, who is concerned that, while the budget sets aside child care reimbursements for councilors, nothing is being done to help with stipends. Those remain at $5,000 for each councilor, aside from the president, who gets $7,500.

“Once again we did not put in for an increase in the salary, or honorarium really, for town council members,” Pam said. “I’m very concerned because in order to recruit a diverse and inclusive group of people, we have to change that.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>