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Police chief outlines staffing pipeline amid rising calls and mental-health co-responder program
Summary
Northampton Police reported 30,216 calls for service in the past year and detailed use of student officers, co-responder clinicians and voluntary programs to reduce overtime and improve mental-health responses. The department said it does not cooperate with ICE.
Police Chief Cartage told the council that the department responded to 30,216 calls for service over the past year, an increase of about 2,200 from the prior year, and identified staffing gaps that produce forced overtime and 'officer stacks.
"Our minimum staffing is four police cruisers and one bike patrol or walking beat," Cartage said, describing how vacancies, injuries and training produce shift shortages. He said the department had 346 calls that were "stacked" last year because no officer was available to dispatch immediately.
To address vacancies, the department emphasized a student-officer pipeline: civilians hired as student officers receive training and can be sent to the state academy when openings arise. Chief Cartage said seven student officers are currently in the Hoyok Police Academy and are expected to graduate and enter field training in 2027; additional academy classes are planned later in the year.
On mental-health response, Cartage described two co-responders funded through a Department of Mental Health grant who ride with officers and can respond to behavioral-health calls in a clinical capacity. He said co-responders can "section 12" individuals (involuntary committal) when clinically appropriate and that they sometimes respond alone when incidents are assessed as non-dangerous.
Councilors also asked whether the department cooperates with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Chief Cartage said, "We don't work with ICE," and urged officers or residents to notify him if they believe an ICE incident occurred in Northampton so he could investigate.
The record includes questions on the new Mark 43 dispatch platform (expected to go live when required features are ready), DCC coordination for houseless encampment work, and public safety details contracted for private projects. The department said many details are pass-throughs charged to vendors and that detail rates vary across communities. Cartage invited councillors to attend accreditation site visits planned in November.
The police presentation framed the FY2027 budget conversation around addressing minimum staffing needs, continuing the student-officer hiring pipeline, and sustaining community programs such as co-responders and the student-officer initiative.
