Lynn Police Dept. to adopt mutual-aid pacts

LYNN – At the direction of Gov. Deval Patrick, the Lynn Police Department will begin formalizing mutual-aid agreements with surrounding cities and towns.The City Council on Tuesday voted to authorize the department to affirm such agreements.”We currently have several mutual-aid agreements in place with neighboring communities that this language would enhance,” Police Chief Kevin Coppinger told the councilors.Law Department attorney James Lamanna said the matter was brought to the council’s attention recently because the Peabody Police Department was seeking Lynn’s endorsement of their mutual-aid agreement. The governor signed two new mutual-aid laws last July, prompting action by police and public works departments statewide.”It’s up to the individual chiefs how far they want to go with this,” said Lamanna, explaining police chiefs can add provisions to the agreements.Deputy Police Chief Kenneth Santoro said Wednesday the agreements contain language regarding pay scales for private details, rights of arrest, medical coverage due to injury while responding to out-of-town incidents, provisions for overtime expenses and other stipulations.”If we went to Peabody, or Peabody came to us, they would bring with them any sort of indemnification provided by their city. The agreement would also give them the right of arrest in the other jurisdiction,” he said.Santoro noted Lynn police have responded to requests for mutual aid from Saugus police to help quell Saturday night melees at one of the town’s nightclubs.”It’s situation by situation,” he said. “If Swampscott gets a call for mutual aid and has two cruisers on the road but both are tied up, it’s up to the commanding officer to determine if they can spare any resources.”Ward 3 Councilor Darren Cyr, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, was supportive of the agreement.”Mutual aid in all honesty is a good thing for all communities. Ward 3 is on the border with Swampscott, where they have two or three cars on at night and also have responded to situations on the Lynn-Swampscott line. We have done the same,” he said. “Lynn is a pretty big city and sometimes we do need the mutual aid coming in.”Cyr emphasized police officers involved in a fight situation are in danger because there’s no way to know who among the suspects is carrying a weapon. “In those cases, police officers are totally in danger. No matter what community it is, or how safe people feel, there’s always that one person who will go into a community and cause trouble,” he said.In some communities, mutual-aid pacts among police, sheriff or other law enforcement departments additionally translate to sharing criminal and investigative information, radio frequencies, specialized equipment and training.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said she is reviewing the chief’s request and subsequent council vote, which awaits her signature.”I want to take a look at who is responsible for the overall operation and the resources,” she said.She noted that a summary of mutual-aid laws states that the “sending party shall pay all expenses, including salary and overtime, incurred by the sending party.”The summary further notes “unless the requesting and sending parties agree otherwise, the sending party shall be responsible for the operation of its equipment and for any damages” incurred.State law ensures the sending community indemnify the police officer in transit to and from the site of the request for assistance.In recent years, the federal government has encouraged regionalization of fire and police departments by stipulating it as a condition in certain grant applications.The governor’s action last July creates a statewide public safety mutual-aid agreement that includes police, fire, public works, emergency medical services, transportation, communications, engineering, building inspection, planning and information assistance, resource support, public health and search-and-rescue.Communities seeking to “opt in” on the plan must contact the