Tinted windows removed from Marblehead police cars

MARBLEHEAD – Police Chief Robert Picariello confirmed Friday that one of the selectmen?s top priorities n the removal of tinting from police cruiser windows n has been accomplished.Selectmen ordered the chief Jan. 26 to remove the tinting from all but one of the town?s eight police cars by March 1.Following a Friday morning selectmen?s meeting on town budgets, Picariello said the work had been completed before the deadline.In January the chief offered reasons for the tinting, including temperature control and privacy for witnesses. Selectman Judy Jacobi said people complained about the tinting as a barrier between Marbleheaders and their police officers.Another proposal, to have Picariello change the color of his police cruisers from black to another color, won?t be going forward. Selectman William Woodfin compared the black cruisers to Secret Service vehicles but his motion to change colors failed 4-1 after his colleagues compared what he was asking to micromanagement. Picariello said Friday the cruisers are staying the same color.The chief presented selectmen with an eight-page, 24-point action plan and selectmen picked out several points they wanted him to handle immediately:u Regular police visits to all schools to have lunch with students and develop relationships;u A process for handling complaints about the police;u On-going review of police policies for handling their most frequent incidents;u Regular meetings with officers on and off their shifts;u A liaison with the Council on Aging.The selectmen plan to appoint an 11-member committee to advise the chief as he implements the plan over the next six-nine months.