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Chelsea police, city attorneys limit constable duties to civil process; annual renewals to remain
Summary
City officials and the Chelsea Police Department told the Licensing Commission on May 8 that, after the 2020 Police Reform Act and related guidance, constables with arrest powers will operate only out of the law department to carry out civil process and will have no arrest authority; licensing renewals will be required annually.
Chelsea’s police department and the city law department told the Licensing Commission on May 8 that constables who previously had arrest powers will be limited to serving civil process and will operate through the law department to avoid triggering training and certification requirements under recent police reforms.
Chief Owen of the Chelsea Police Department said the change follows the Police Reform Act and related guidance: "We will work out of the law office, only serving civil process. If they're only serving papers, not affecting any civil arrest, they don't fall under the Police Reform Act and they can continue doing service with the city," he said.
Assistant City Solicitor Peter Christopher confirmed the plan, and Sergeant Chung explained the licensing office will continue to run background checks for constables who work for the city; Suffolk County sheriff’s civil division was noted as separately cleared and handled by that agency. Commissioners and the chief discussed renewals: the city will require constables who fall under city oversight to renew licenses every year rather than every three years.
A member of the public with knowledge of state practice also described recent court and regulatory developments involving evictions and POST certification, saying the housing court pushed back on a statewide letter that had treated evictions as arrests; court and housing authorities have discussed limits on firearms during evictions. Commission discussion focused on clarifying that the local approach allows civil-process service without arrest authority and that the licensing unit will continue annual background checks and ID verification for those working under city oversight.
Why this matters: the change narrows constables' practical authority in Chelsea to civil-process work (serving papers) and keeps them outside the scope of police-training mandates that would apply to arrests. Annual review and background checks also create a shorter oversight cycle for the city licensing office.
Next steps: licensing staff, police and the law department will implement the change in practice and maintain annual renewals and background checks for constables who perform civil process for the city.
