Governor Maura Healey visited the EOPS Center in Holyoke for a public-safety roundtable and said state funding through the Commonwealth Project Safe Neighborhood initiative has supported law enforcement investigations and after-school programs and produced “nearly 500 arrests” and the seizure of “54 guns” in the first six months of 2025.

The governor said the state “takes that funding, we give it to departments, we give it to district attorney's offices, and they can do law enforcement work that they need to do,” and added that grants are also being used to fund youth programs at Boys & Girls Clubs and local YMCAs. “This is what we want. We want to maximize the return on that taxpayer dollar,” Healey said.

Why it matters: Healey and local leaders framed the PSN grants as a two-track approach—funding investigative work such as wire operations that local agencies cannot always afford, and supporting prevention through after-school programming that officials say reduces crime risks for youth.

At the roundtable, state and local officials gave examples of programs using PSN money: local Boys & Girls Clubs, the Athol YMCA, Roca’s local partnership with the Hampden County district attorney’s office, and Roots Rising farm- and weekend-based programming in Berkshire County. Healey credited the legislature for appropriating the funds and said the investments are producing measurable results: “In just the first 6 months of 2025, these partnerships resulted in nearly 500 arrests in Massachusetts. We took 54 guns off the street, seized another 30 kilos of narcotics, and recovered more than $240,000 in suspected illicit proceeds,” she said.

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Jeff Noble emphasized partnership and trust between law enforcement and communities, saying efforts include mentorship programs and trauma-informed victim services. “Success is not only about numbers, it's about trust,” Noble said, adding that data-driven enforcement and interagency cooperation remain core strategies.

Holyoke police leaders credited PSN funding with local results. Chief Keenan said the money “has paid dividends,” pointing to more visible enforcement in parks and downtown and to coordinated multi-agency operations. Keenan said an 86-arrest effort helped spawn the city’s Open Engagement program, which he described as improving downtown quality of life.

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Galuni thanked the governor’s office for listening and acting, saying the PSN-supported partnerships combine prevention and law enforcement to “make a difference for Holyoke and Springfield.”

Speakers also discussed staffing shortages across law enforcement and the need to recruit new officers. Healey mentioned a recent meeting with Trooper Sean Clark, who was injured in a hit-and-run and is recovering; she used the example to underscore support for first responders and to encourage people to consider careers in policing: “you will have the support of this governor and our administration,” she said.

No formal votes or policy adoptions took place at the meeting; officials described the gathering as a convening to review program outcomes and coordinate future support. Healey said the administration will hold similar roundtables elsewhere in the state and noted the next convening would be in Essex County.

Questions and next steps raised during the session centered on sustaining funding, expanding prevention programming, and addressing staffing shortages; no formal directives or new funding commitments were announced at the event.