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Brookline Police unveil first five-year strategic plan and press for staffing, training and technology investments
Summary
The Brookline Police Department presented its first formal five-year strategic plan on April 8 and outlined FY26 budget priorities including staffing stability, training, technology upgrades and accreditation work; the department also showed body-worn camera footage that officials said illustrated the value of training and equipment.
The Brookline Police Department presented its first five-year strategic plan on April 8, laying out a vision and an action-oriented roadmap for community engagement, workforce recruitment and retention, leadership and administration, people and culture, professional development and infrastructure (facilities, equipment and technology).
The plan — developed with consultant John Osman — sets one vision statement and six high-level goals broken into 26 objectives, 65 strategies and 209 action items. Chief Danielle Pastor and consultant Osman said the process included department-wide SWOT work, multiple staff workshops and focus groups. The plan includes specific, assignable action items, target completion dates and measures of success.
Budget and operational priorities flagged for FY26 included: - Sustaining competitive pay and benefits to retain recruits and laterals (the department recently hired 16 officers in the prior year, including nine laterals). - Investment in continual professional development, mental-health and wellness supports, and multi-agency training. - Technology upgrades and expanded information‑technology support; continued rollout of body‑worn camera program and records-management migration to an upgraded platform.
Chief Pastor also played body-worn camera footage for the board to illustrate a recent domestic/mental‑health call in which a single officer used de‑escalation and defensive tactics to safely resolve a knife-related incident; the chief said the outcome showed how training and measured, better-equipped responses can reduce risk and potential litigation.
Why it matters: The plan creates a public roadmap the department can use to prioritize staffing, training and capital investment decisions as the town finalizes FY26 budgets. The personnel-heavy police budget is driven largely by salaries and benefits; the department said it remains near full authorized staffing but flagged several officers on long-term leave and possible retirements.
Next steps: The department expects to report back to the board on progress in subsequent budget presentations and to begin implementation of selected early actions in FY26.
