Fiscal Year 2023 Data

Fiscal year 2023 Town Report Summary
July 1, 2022 thru June 30, 2023

Your South Hadley Police Department employees are accomplished professionals, committed to this community and I am honored to serve alongside each of them.   Thank you, South Hadley, for allowing us to provide support and safety in this wonderful town.  Each one of us endeavors to provide the highest quality of services, through equitable and impartial policing, to all.  We believe that all members of our community, whether South Hadley is your home, place of employment, or where you recreate, will be afforded equal access to our service.   Our philosophy, and mission, is to assist in resolving problems and we do this in partnership with you, our community!    Every day, every shift, we strive to earn your trust and strengthen this partnership. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Gundersen
Chief of Police

Staffing, FY23:

The FY23 budgeted staffing for the South Hadley Police Department is 29 full sworn police officers, 5 full time emergency communication center dispatchers, 1 full time administrative assistant/payroll/records clerk and 2 part time emergency dispatchers. 
Lieutenant William Sowa retired in July, 2022 after almost 40 years of service to the Town of South Hadley Police Department.  South Hadley Police offer our sincere thank you to Lt. Sowa and wish him well in retirement. 
We welcome two new full time Emergency Dispatchers to the South Hadley E911 Center, Angelique Kunasek and Nicole Brunetti.

Awards and Recognition FY23:

In August of 2022, Officer Cindy Boyle received the Law Enforcement Exemplary Performance Award from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Nominated by Chief Gundersen, this award is granted annually to a police officer who has demonstrated exceptional dedication, energy, and commitment toward their work within law enforcement and a passion to both public safety and assisting individuals with mental health, trauma, or other behavioral health difficulties.   Congratulations Ofc. Boyle!

Community Outreach programs FY23:

Community Support:  Members of the Department participated in numerous community outreach partnerships this year.  We have grown our collaboration with the South Hadley High School Criminal Justice Program and numerous police officers taught curriculums at the SHHS.  Over the winter, officers participated in events with the Special Olympics both in town and regionally, supporting these amazing athletes.  Organized by our police officers, with other local public safety partners, staff contributed in several events to assist those with food and/or financial insecurity, including the Soup Can Collection, Turkey Drive, Stuff the Cruiser Toy for Tots Collection.

Crisis Intervention Team:  Officer Cindy Boyle oversees the Departments’ Crisis Intervention Team and grant oversight.   We continue to utilize the assistance of a co-responder mental health clinician for 24 hours per week in South Hadley.  The clinician is shared with Granby Police and accompanies officers from both departments on calls for service for persons with mental health conditions or in crisis.

TRIAD/S.A.L.T. (Seniors In Law Enforcement Together) Officer Emily Tebo is the Departments’ liaison to the TRIAD/S.A.L.T.   The TRAID program continues to be involved in numerous programs, including the “Salt For Seniors” campaign, which provides sand to seniors throughout South Hadley in an effort to prevent falls/injuries in icy weather. TRIAD also participated in two (2) National Drug Take back days in the fall and spring, collecting several hundred pounds of unwanted medications, keeping them out of our natural resources and helping to prevent the start of an opioid addiction.  TRIAD also participated in the South Hadley Council on Aging’s “Aging in Place: Health and Awareness Fair,” and the “Winter Preparedness Fair” which provides tips to Seniors on ways to help them to stay healthy/safe in their homes longer as they age.

School Resource Officer Program:  The mission of the School Resource Officer program in South Hadley is to build relationships between the schools and the police that contribute to a positive school environment.  School Resource Officer Joshua Helems was primarily assigned to the South Hadley High School but had a presence at all Town schools.  SHPD is grateful that the Town, School Administration, and caregivers allow us the opportunity to engage with the students and assist the students to be successful and safe in the learning environment.  The School Resource Officer position remained involved in many events both inside and external to the schools.  The ’22-’23 school year also brought with it some new and revived concerns for safety and security considering national events that took the spotlight during the year. These events would prompt town wide “Safety Meetings” to discuss how safety and security are handled in the School District as well as in town buildings, parks, etc. Town, School, and Fire District leadership participated in these safety meetings.  Several ideas derived from these meetings, and more will be in the works to further stabilize policy, protocol, and response. Throughout the school year, multiple security checks at all schools were performed, as well as lockdown drills and safety trainings for staff.    

Interactions with the Criminal Justice Vocational program from the high school continued to be a successful collaboration, but most notably for their now annual tour of the police station for new criminal justice students and hands-on instruction from SHPD members in the classroom. These instructional sessions were conducted by several members of the SHPD who had specialization on various law enforcement topics.  

With School leadership, School Resource Officer Joshua Helems co-wrote a grant that ultimately netted the South Hadley School District $132,000 towards safety and security updates for the high school, middle school and the Mosier Elementary School.

Entering the ‘23-‘24 school year, SRO Helems intends to continue maintaining strong school and town wide relationships in an effort to enhance communication and partnership that improves the well-being and safety of South Hadley Public School students, staff and caregivers.  

Grant Funding, FY23:

The South Hadley Police was awarded $178,762 in grant funding during fiscal year 2023.  This supplemental funding includes the following:  $89,345 from the Massachusetts E911 Department for the operation of the E911 Dispatch Center; $8,582 from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security under the Traffic Enforcement Grant Program; $23,100 from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) to enhance the SHPD Crisis Response Team (CIT) for training;  $54,235 from the DMH to continue the co-responder clinician program ; $3,500 from the City of Northampton to improve outreach to persons and their families affected by substance abuse. 

Call Activity, FY23: 

Officers arrested 80 persons, 23% which were for arrest warrants issued by a court.  In addition, 187 persons were summoned to court for criminal offenses.  Arrests and summonses for FY23 decreased 19% from FY22.  Communication center staff dispatched first responders to 21,933 calls for service, an increase of 4% from FY22.

Staffing, FY23 as Of June 30, 2023

Police Officers:
29 budgeted sworn positions; 4 vacancies
20 Male
5 Female
22 White
2 White/Hispanic
1 Black

  FY23 Demographics of interactions, FY23: 

Race, ethnicity and sex for FY23.  Please note that race and ethnicity is identified by the officer, not self-identified.  

SUMMONS: 185 persons were summons to court for a hearing in FY23

ARRESTS:  There were 80 arrests in FY23.  Of the 80 arrests made in FY23, 23% are the result of an arrest warrant issued by a court and often another jurisdiction.  

Traffic Citations:  In FYU23 1,725 motorists were stopped by a South Hadley police officer and issued either a citation, written warning or verbal warning for the traffic violation.

Crimes Reported, FY23

Data provided include all calls for service and criminal incidents reported to the South Hadley Police  in FU23 with required investigation and reporting.

Calls for Service, FY23
Crimes Reported, FY23