Brockton police chief says incomplete personnel files delayed reappointment of school special police; committee discusses possible consolidation

Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez told the School Committee on Feb. 11 that delays and missing documentation hindered the police department’s annual vetting for school officers’ special police powers and led to a temporary gap in those officers’ authority.

Perez said the city’s ordinance sets an annual swearing‑in deadline in January; the chief said the department is responsible for a thorough vetting process and must comply with new Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) rules. Perez said the school department provided personnel information and medical documentation on a thumb drive on Jan. 15, but earlier and later reviews revealed additional investigative and disciplinary records were missing, which delayed reappointments.

Why it matters: Brockton is unusual in Massachusetts in that school police officers are employed through the school department but hold police powers that require oversight and vetting by the municipal police department. Perez said that structure created coordination challenges under the updated state standards.

Superintendent Dr. Taheliani acknowledged the breakdown in communication and said the school department did not understand the documents’ absence would cause officers to lose powers; she said the parties now have a plan to avoid recurrence but that clearer cross‑agency communication is needed.

Mayor Sullivan said the city assigned certified Brockton Police officers to maintain school coverage while the vetting work continued and that the administration will pursue process changes. Committee members asked for an accounting of the staffing costs incurred while outside officers covered schools; the superintendent said she had an initial invoice and expected additional billing and would provide details.

Several committee members and the mayor also raised the longer‑term question of whether Brockton should merge school police with the municipal department. Perez, Mayor Sullivan and other officials said consolidation would require work with unions, civil‑service considerations and possibly state legislative changes but could bring operational and financial advantages. Perez said new procedures will require continuous information sharing so annual reappointments occur on time.

Next steps: The chief said school police files were restored and that the police department and school officials are establishing continuous information flows to comply with POST and the city ordinance. The committee asked staff for the invoice(s) tied to outside police coverage during the gap and requested the matter be revisited during policy and budget discussions.