By Livi Stanford

Police Chief Daniel Bourgeois  is worried about meeting the needs of town residents since the Emerald Place and  Lunenburg Village developments will increase the Lunenburg population.

“Right now our major concern is we have two large building projects underway, an increase in residential numbers, and an increase in traffic,” Bourgeois said.  “For a number of years we (have brought) attention to increasing staff here. As the town grows, the needs change. The task is keeping up with those changes.”

Since the state’s budget  is strained,  Lunenburg has to tighten its  belt.  Bourgeois explained that in FY’10 the department was asked to make cuts.

“We cut in terms of training money, and overtime,” Bourgeois said of FY’10 budget cuts. “We are operating at a bare minimum. We are operating on levels that we feel need to be improved on as the community grows.”

The Lunenburg Police Department currently has a staff of 13 with three rotating shifts and a full-time detective. This means that there are only two officers on patrol at any given time. Since Lunenburg’s population is approximately 10,000, it can be difficult to meet all its needs.

...

For more on this article, pick up a copy of The Lunenburg Ledger in stores now, or call (978) 582-8200 to subscribe today!