Nantucket police outline summer plan for 40 community service officers, new high‑visibility uniforms

Sergeant John Rocket, a sergeant with the police department, told the Visitor Services Advisory Committee on Zoom that the department will hire 40 community service officers this summer, including 20 returners, and will change the CSO uniform to a high‑visibility yellow shirt to improve safety and visibility.

The change matters because CSOs are often the first town representatives visitors meet and play roles in foot, bike and ATV patrols, parking enforcement and bylaw checks across downtown, the airport and Mid‑Island. Rocket told committee members those duties, plus expanded training and outreach, are central to the department’s summer planning.

Rocket said staffing is improving overall but not without gaps: the department projects 43 sworn officers after two budgeted hires take effect July 1, but “we have 3 vacancies and then 4 officers in the police academy,” he said. He told the committee the CSO program is “definitely going strong” and that recruitment drew “a hundred and 6, new applications,” with candidates coming from across New England and as far away as Colorado and Florida. “We are hiring 40 community service officers this summer, and we have 20 returning from last summer,” Rocket said.

Training begins the week of June 2 and includes CPR certification, ethics training, radio procedures and applied patrol scenarios. Rocket said the department also brings in at least one outside instructor each year for community interactions and de‑escalation work. He described CSOs as “ambassadors, not just for our department, but for the town,” and said the training emphasizes customer service in addition to enforcement.

The department will also change CSO apparel. Rocket said, “I think you will see a major change in how they stick out this year. There's a uniform change … we are switching to a high visibility, type yellow, shirt.” He framed the switch as a safety measure for CSOs who perform traffic control and work near moving vehicles.

On downtown policing, Rocket said the department will not have a single dedicated downtown officer replacing the recently retired officer Jerry Mack. Instead, “there will be a police officer dedicated to the court district downtown … between the hours of 9AM and 11AM and 3PM and 7PM,” working out of the sheriff’s substation at 20 South Water Street. He acknowledged that arrangement reduces continuity compared with having one long‑term downtown officer and said committee members should contact the day shift supervisor or him if they need a point of contact.

Parking enforcement and abandoned vehicles drew extended discussion. Rocket emphasized the department does not use parking as a revenue source: “We do not have a quota. We enforce parking because of the parking function of having parking turnover,” he said, adding that revenue from tickets goes into the general fund. He described intensified outreach — including door‑to‑door visits to businesses and residents — before ticketing. Rocket also said abandoned vehicles and unattended work trailers have increased, noting both enforcement and logistics challenges. “There isn't an impound area, unfortunately,” he said, and that the department relies on Nantucket Auto Body for towing but that company has limited storage capacity.

Committee members urged more coordination between visitor services and the CSO program. Chantal, director of visitor services, and others discussed visitor messaging about public transit options to reduce driving and impaired‑driving risk. Rocket said commuter and shuttle options, taxis and rideshares have helped reduce incidents but encouraged continued outreach: “Any way that we can do better outreach, I'm for that.”

Members suggested an end‑of‑season CSO survey to capture frequently asked questions and recurring visitor issues; Rocket said he was open to that and to sharing contact information with visitor services staff. Garrison Beal described CSOs as “an extension of visitor services” and offered the chamber and hotels as partners for CSO training and messaging.

The committee did not make a formal vote on CSO policy or staffing; the exchanges were informational and focused on coordination, outreach and operational details for the coming season.

The committee asked staff to explore a post‑season CSO feedback process and to circulate Rocket’s contact information so stakeholders downtown will have a direct route to coordinate on operational concerns. The Visitor Services Advisory Committee will continue to monitor the program as the summer season begins.