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Westfield police chief highlights accreditation, SOP overhaul and 9-1-1 accreditation plan
Summary
Chief Chris Battilora said overhauling decade-old policies and winning departmental accreditation have driven a shift toward community policing; the department will begin accreditation of its 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point on May 1 and plans targeted recruitment and fleet upgrades.
Chief Chris Battilora said his first two years leading the Westfield Police Department have been a “whirlwind,” marked by a departmental effort to update standards and win accreditation while expanding community policing and preparing to accredit the town's 9-1-1 center.
Battilora told a live forum that the department answered "33,000 plus calls for service" last year and that many of the agency's written directives were "archaic and obsolete." He said updating standard operating procedures and rules of conduct was essential to holding officers accountable and aligning practices with changed laws and modern best practices.
"Holding people accountable to SOPs ... the laws have changed," Battilora said, arguing the policy overhaul makes training and enforcement consistent with current expectations. He said the department hired a professional consultant to guide revision, and that "every single one" of the department's directives has been revised and reissued to reflect current law.
Battilora described accreditation as a top priority when he became chief: "Seeking accreditation was perhaps my number 1 thing that I wanted to do when I made chief." He credited Captain Panavano and a team of officers and staff for leading the process and said accreditation affirms professional standards.
The chief said Westfield will begin accreditation for its Public Safety Answering Point (the town's 9-1-1 police, fire and EMS communications center) on May 1 to evaluate and improve dispatch operations and to prepare staff for reaccreditation in three years. "It's one thing to say you're going to do these things. It's another thing to prove it," he said of the accreditation process.
Battilora also described plans to diversify recruitment, develop a strategic plan with measurable objectives, and continue fleet modernization: he said the department recently placed about eight hybrid vehicles into service and leased them to reduce upfront costs.
The forum closed with the mayor and chief agreeing accreditation and SOP updates are ongoing efforts; Battilora said maintaining accreditation will require continuing internal leadership and staff training.
