Finance Committee hears wide-ranging debate on Brockton police recruitment, recommends council discussion

The Brockton Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend a resolve inviting Police Chief Brenda Perez and appropriate staff to brief the full City Council on the department's recruitment and hiring efforts after an extended discussion about residency rules and staffing shortfalls.

Chief Brenda Perez told the committee the city has struggled to maintain authorized staffing levels and manage overtime. "Over the last 3 years, recruiting has been a challenge, not only for Brockton, but across the Commonwealth and the nation," Perez said. She gave the committee annual snapshots showing authorized sworn strength of 206 and repeated shortfalls: large numbers of forced overtime shifts, military deployments and officers on injured duty.

The discussion focused on whether the city's residency requirement, adopted three decades ago, hinders lateral hires and other recruiting. Councilor Farwell and others urged exploring temporary or permanent changes, arguing that residency limits the pool of candidates and contributes to staffing gaps. "If residency is an impediment to recruiting qualified people... would it make a difference if we were to eliminate residency?" Farwell asked.

Several councilors defended residency as a civic priority. Councilor Rodriguez said he would not support eliminating residency while he remains in office, citing long-standing voter support and the belief that officers living in Brockton are more invested in neighborhood safety. "For as long as that I sit in city government, I'll never vote to eliminate residency in the city," Rodriguez said.

Sergeant Amaral described specific recruitment steps taken by the department, including lateral outreach, cadet and youth programs and multiple civil service lists. The department reported it had exhausted previous resident lists and is conducting background investigations on dozens of new candidates from recent calls for lists. Perez and Amaral also noted the department has used a cadet program since 2021, converting some cadets into officers.

Members raised workforce wellness and injury rates as a factor that complicates staffing. Perez said the department had seen dozens of long-term injuries that removed officers from duty and stressed the health and wellness implications of prolonged forced overtime.

The committee recommended the resolve favorably to the full council; a motion to recommend passed. Members directed that the matter stay on the public safety committee's agenda for follow-up and asked the department to bring more detail on outreach and comparative injury statistics at a future meeting.