Give police department adequate staffing, resources for proactive traffic enforcement

I’m writing in support of Chief Thomas Mulcahy and the Acton Police Department and its efforts to live up to its own mission statement: to “deliver exceptional service through community policing” and to “safeguard lives and property while upholding the constitutional rights of all …”

A recent Acton Bridge article, “Traffic enforcement fluctuates as police workload ratchets up,” explained some of the constraints our police department is working under. Calls for service have grown in both number and complexity, requiring more follow-up, coordination, and documentation than in years past. That leaves officers with less time for the proactive work — like traffic safety — that residents want to see more of. CPD doesn’t even have a dedicated traffic unit; officers are balancing that work against everything else on their plate.

Now knowing these constraints, I want to recognize and thank the Acton Police Department — and Inspector Ron Holsinger in particular — for working to find solutions to the safety issues we’ve raised, even when those solutions are temporary or less than ideal. They are doing the best they can with the limited resources they’ve been given.

If we want safer streets for our children, pedestrians, and cyclists, we need a police department with the capacity to be proactive, not just responsive. That means supporting CPD with the staffing and resources it needs to fully carry out its mission — not just asking officers to do more with less. They are, after all, the forefront of our safety.

I hope the town makes basic safety a priority as it plans forward, and that residents will join me in supporting our police department.

Gina Stark

Thoreau Street