To the Residents of Aquinnah,
As I start this report as I do every year, I’d like to update you on the personnel of the department. Sgt. Paul Manning, Detective Steven Mathias, Officer David Murphy, and Special/Reserve Officer Christopher Manning continued working for the department during 2022. Detective Steven Mathias was assigned as Detective as of July 1, 2022 as I felt the department needed an Officer who is skilled in investigative techniques. Det. Mathias has completed specialized training in investigations and will continue to attend additional training. Det. Mathias also became the department’s Accreditation Manager to assist the department with achieving Certification and ultimately Accreditation through the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
Sgt. Manning continues as the department’s domestic violence Officer, elder services Officer, and Civil Rights Officer. Sgt. Manning is also responsible for Officer scheduling, vehicle maintenance, and firearms licensing. Sgt. Manning is a certified Child Passenger Safety Seat Technician. As such, he performs child safety seat inspections for anyone that requests an inspection of their child’s safety seat. Officer Murphy is the department’s firearms Instructor and defensive tactics Instructor. All Officers are Massachusetts certified Basic Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s).
The summer season of 2022 proved to be a busy time for the department as all of the full-time Officers spent a considerable amount of time at Aquinnah Circle directing traffic due to being short staffed. For the first time in a number of years, we were unable to hire any additional Officers due to lack of applicants. Fortunately for us, Special/Reserve Officer Christopher Manning was able to assist us with working a couple of shifts a week during the summer in addition to his full-time employment at the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) as a Tribal Ranger.
One of the challenges presented in hiring for the summer season is the recent passage of the Police Reform law in Massachusetts. For those unaware, previously anyone who was interested in becoming Special/Reserve Officer to assist Police departments on a part-time basis, such as in the summer season, these individuals were able to attend a Reserve Intermittent Police Officers training class which consisted of approximately 600 hours of training on various topics. This class was provided by the Municipal Police Training Committee which is the committee who oversees and provides the majority of the Commonwealth’s Police training. Additionally, the Martha’s Vineyard Law Enforcement Council, Inc. was able to provide this training on island which meant island residents were able to complete this class locally and were able to apply for Special/Reserve Officer positions with the island Police departments, which many did, and were hired. After the Police Reform law was enacted, this Reserve Intermittent Police Officer’s class was abolished because the legislation stated in order to become a Police Officer, individuals would have to attend the Basic Recruit Police Academy which consists of approximately 800 hours of training at various facilities located throughout the Commonwealth. This left small departments, such as ours, having difficulty to hire Special/Reserve Officers as we had previously. Almost all of the Police departments on the island had to pivot their summer hiring processes to hire either civilian Community Service Officers or Traffic Officers who do not have arrest powers and have very limited authority. Looking towards the future, this department will most likely be hiring Traffic Officers for the summer season; however if hiring continues to be an issue, I will be asking the Town to hire an additional full-time Officer, for not only this issue, but other issues as well.
As I stated previously, Officers spent a considerable amount of time at Aquinnah Circle as visitors continued to visit this beautiful area. The Gay Head Lighthouse reopened for tours, two new businesses opened at the cliff shop area, improvements were made to the cliff lookout area, the public parking time limit increased from 60 minutes to 90 minutes, and additional public parking was added at the bottom of Aquinnah Circle. With this came increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic which Officers dealt with. Aquinnah Circle was also the location to annual events that are held there. In July the Old South Road Association held its annual July 4th Parade; however a new event was added after the parade. The new event was a Town Picnic held on the grounds of the Vanderhoop Homestead that was well attended by Town residents and guests. Also in July the Town’s Public Safety Day and the Wampanoag Tribe’s Native Artisan’s Market were held simultaneously inside Aquinnah Circle which drew many attendees to both events. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing was able to land one of their helicopters inside Aquinnah Circle for Public Safety Day. As always, this was the highlight of Public Safety Day.
In September the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) held its annual Pow-Wow inside Aquinnah Circle which drew many attendees. In October the Gay Head Lighthouse Committee held its annual 10K “Run for the Light” Road Race which started and ended at Aquinnah Circle. The race attracted close to 150 runners even though it was a very windy day. The Aquinnah Building Committee (of which I am a member of) continued to meet with the Town’s Architect (Icon Architecture, Inc.) and Town Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) (Atlantic Construction and Management, Inc.) to discuss plans for a new Police station. Our current Police station lacks space for functional evidence storage, interview room, firearms storage, lobby area, and general space for future growth of the department. Plans were presented to Town residents for not only the Police station, but for new Town Offices and new public restrooms at Aquinnah Circle. After hearing the Town residents’ concerns, the Building Committee met with Icon Architects and Atlantic Construction and Management, Inc. to implement their concerns. The Committee continues to meet and hopes to bring a final schematic design to the Town in 2023.
All Officers completed their required forty hours of In-Service training provided by the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC). Traditionally, this training is held in person; however due to Covid precautions, the training was held online. All Officers also completed required firearms training utilizing a firearms trailer that was brought to the island by the MPTC. This trailer provided Officers with low light/night time simulated shooting and their required qualification course. Officers also attended an Active Shooter Training with other island Police departments held at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School during the April school vacation. Officers also completed various specialized trainings throughout the year.
Below is list of calls for service during 2022 compared to those of 2021. As you will see, our motor vehicle stops and parking tickets issued decreased in 2022. This is due to being short staffed during the summer season. We were short staffed by two Officers and the statistics show how the loss of these two additional Officers made a difference. It should be noted that the Town Select Board voted in 2022 to increase the parking fines. Previously overtime parking fines were $25 and parking in unauthorized areas fines were $50. These fines were raised to $50 and $100 respectively. The reasoning behind the fine increases were due to beach parking. The overtime parking is related to visitors parking at Aquinnah Circle for longer than the 90 minute time allotment instead of paying to park at the Municipal Lot at the bottom of Aquinnah Circle. The parking in unauthorized areas is related to visitors parking at the Philbin Beach parking lot without a parking permit. The fee to park at the Municipal Lot was $20 and if the lot was full (as it usually is on nice beach weather days), visitors were willing to take the chance to receive a $50 parking ticket. By raising the fines, the Select Board was hoping to discourage visitors from parking over the time allotment and from parking in unauthorized areas.
In closing I’d like to thank all members of the department for their continued professionalism. I’m proud of the Officers of this department and the Town residents should feel fortunate to have these Officers protecting their Town. I’d also like to thank the following agencies for their continued assistance: Aquinnah Fire Department, Aquinnah Highway Department, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Natural Resources Department, Tri-Town Ambulance, the island Police agencies, Dukes County Sheriff’s Department, the State agencies assigned to the island, U.S. Coast Guard – Station Menemsha, Town of Aquinnah Select Board, and Town employees.
Best wishes for 2023 and be safe!!
Listed below are the numbers and some of the types of calls for service the department responded to from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 compared with those responded to in 2021.
Respectfully submitted,
Randhi P. Belain
Chief of Police
| 2022 AQUINNAH POLICE STATISTICS | |||
| 2021 | 2022 | ||
| Medical Emergencies | 42 | 40 | |
| Alarms (Burglar) | 50 | 35 | |
| Alarms (Fire) | 25 | 31 | |
| Alarms (Other) | 14 | 16 | |
| Assist Citizen (general) | 21 | 14 | |
| Assist Outside Agency | 10 | 9 | |
| Assist Aquinnah Fire Department | 1 | 6 | |
| Assist Animal Control Officer | 7 | 19 | |
| Public Utility / Hazardous Condition | 14 | 14 | |
| Assault & Battery | 1 | 2 | |
| B&E and Attempted B&E | 0 | 1 | |
| Domestic Related Activity | 8 | 9 | |
| Harassment Complaints | 2 | 1 | |
| ID Theft/Fraud | 2 | 0 | |
| Larceny | 1 | 2 | |
| Stolen Motor Vehicle | 0 | 1 | |
| OUI | 0 | 0 | |
| Other Alcohol Related Incidents | 1 | 1 | |
| Sexual Assaults | 1 | 0 | |
| Lewd Behavior | 0 | 0 | |
| Shoplifting | 0 | 0 | |
| Vandalism / Destruction of Property | 0 | 1 | |
| Motor Vehicle Complaints | 1 | 1 | |
| Covid-19 Related Complaints | 0 | 0 | |
| Disputes / Disturbances | 4 | 4 | |
| Animal Complaints | 0 | 1 | |
| Fireworks / Gunshot Complaints | 0 | 0 | |
| Hunting/Fishing Complaints | 2 | 2 | |
| Noise Complaints | 2 | 0 | |
| Parking Complaints | 7 | 3 | |
| Trespass Complaints | 1 | 3 | |
| Suspicious Vehicles, Persons, Activities | 23 | 21 | |
| Marine Mammal Incidents | 0 | 0 | |
| Welfare Checks | 5 | 6 | |
| Missing Person | 1 | 3 | |
| Child Welfare | 4 | 0 | |
| Marine Watercraft Incidents | 0 | 3 | |
| Bicycle Accidents | 1 | 1 | |
| Moped Accidents | 1 | 0 | |
| Motor Vehicle Accidents | 9 | 10 | |
| Motor Vehicle vs. Deer / Other Animal | 3 | 4 | |
| Deaths | 1 | 0 | |
| By-Law Violations | 0 | 1 | |
| Arrests | 2 | 2 | |
| Protective Custody | 0 | 1 | |
| Criminal Complaint Applications | 10 | 11 | |
| Incidents on Tribal Lands | 24 | 23 | |
| Total Incidents | 277 | 279 | |
| Motor Vehicle Stops | 205 | 91 | |
| Motor Vehicle Citations Issued | 45 | 33 | |
| Parking Tickets Issued | 675 | 331 | |
To the Residents of Aquinnah,
Continuing as I have started off this Town Report for number of years, I will let you know who
the Officers were who worked for the department during 2021. Full Time Officers were Sgt. Paul
Manning, Officer Steven Mathias, and Officer David Murphy. Special/Reserve Officers were
Bradley Fielder, Cory Medeiros, and Christopher Manning. Special Officers Medeiros and
Manning were new additions to the department. Special Officer Medeiros previously worked as a
Traffic Officer for the Tisbury and Edgartown Police Departments. Special Officer Manning is
employed full time by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) as a Tribal Ranger and
was able to work shifts for our department on his days off. It should be noted that Wampanoag
Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Natural Resources Director Bret Stearns is also a Special/Reserve
Officer of our department. Special Officers Stearns and Manning are both certified
Massachusetts Emergency Medical Technicians – Basic Level (E.M.T.’s) and they assist our
department with medical emergency calls. We appreciate their assistance on these medical
emergency calls.
During 2021 the Country unfortunately had to continue to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic.
Locally, restrictions continued and due to these restrictions the department was able to remain
safe using our Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.) and following the recommended
guidelines. Officers wore face coverings while dealing with the public and the public was
required to wear face coverings while visiting the Gay Head Cliff area and shops. The public was
receptive to this restriction and the department was fortunate that we did not have to respond to
any calls regarding the public not wearing face coverings. Speaking of the Aquinnah Circle area,
the summer of 2021 saw in increase of visitors in this area compared to the previous year even
though the Town decided not to open the Gay Head Lighthouse for tours. The beaches in Town
were very busy which required the department to strictly enforce the parking laws. Due to the
pandemic, the Town faced issues of hiring parking attendants, so the department spent a lot of
time patrolling and issuing parking tickets at the Philbin Beach parking lot and the other
Resident Permit Parking areas in Town. As you will see below in our statistics, there was an
increase in the number of parking tickets issued compared to the previous year.
Although most in person trainings were suspended due to the pandemic, the Officers of the
department were able to complete their required yearly In-Service training using the online
training that was assigned to them by the Municipal Police Training Committee, who oversees
Police Training for all Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. One of the in person
trainings the Officers, as well as all Officers on the island attended, was Implicit Bias training.
This training was provided by Hillard Heintze Company who was hired by the Martha’s
Vineyard Law Enforcement Council, Inc. The island Police Chiefs participated in this training
also; however our training was separate from the Patrol Officers’ training. As part of the Chiefs
training, we invited leaders from several island organizations, such as the Wampanoag Tribe of
Gay Head (Aquinnah), N.A.A.C.P. – Martha’s Vineyard Chapter, and the Martha’s Vineyard
Diversity Coalition to name a few, for a discussion regarding implicit and racial bias on Martha’s
Vineyard. The discussion went very well and the Chiefs left the training with a better
understanding of how these organizations view policing on Martha’s Vineyard.
During the year the department continued to learn more about the Police Reform Law that was
enacted on December 31, 2020. As part of this legislation the Peace Officers Standards and
Training Commission (POSTC) was created and subsequently appointed by the Governor of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Part of the Commission’s responsibilities is to review each
Police Department’s internal affairs/disciplinary records to ensure Officers are able to remain as
a certified Police Officer. In the fall of 2021 the Commission requested each department’s
disciplinary records for active Officers and for Officers who were previously employed by the
department. I’m pleased to report that I didn’t have to supply any of the required disciplinary
records due to the fact that there were no required disciplinary records to be sent. Also as part of
this legislation, in order for a department to employ Officers who are Special/Reserve Police
Officers, these Special/Reserve Officers are required to complete an additional 200 hours of
Police training. 120 hours of this training are to be completed online on various topics assigned
by the Municipal Police Training Committee and the remaining 80 hours of training are “hands
on/practical” training, which consists of Firearms, Defensive Tactics, and Emergency Vehicle
driving. The island Police Chiefs will work with the Municipal Police Training Committee to
ensure our Special/Reserve Officers receive this required training.
As I’ve stated in previous Town Reports, the Police Station is in need of more space. During this
year the Town created the Aquinnah Town Projects Committee, of which I was fortunate enough
to become a member of, to further investigate additional space needs of not only the Police
Station, but the Town Offices, and to upgrade the public restrooms at Aquinnah Circle. The
Committee met weekly to discuss the additional space needs and the public restrooms. Once we
discussed these issues, the next step was to contract with professionals to continue the process.
The Town issued an RFP for an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) (as is required by law) and
later issued an RFP for an architect to assist us with furthering the process. I am proud to report
that the Town contracted with Atlantic Construction Inc. as our Owner’s Project Manager and
ICON Architecture Inc. as our architect. The Committee met with both companies on a regular
basis to convey our needs to them. ICON Architecture Inc., subsequently met with all Town
employees and owners of the Aquinnah Circle shops to discuss the current needs. From those
discussions, ICON presented various ideas to the Committee and Atlantic Construction, Inc.
These ideas will be presented to Town residents for comment and input. The Committee looks
forward to continuing the process as the Town Offices, Police Station, and Town Hall not only
need additional space, but need immediate structural or equipment related repairs. Additional
funds will be needed to be approved by Town voters to complete the planning process and
ultimately construction of the aforementioned buildings. We hope Town voters support these
projects and approve the funding.
In closing I’d like to thank all members of the department for their continued professionalism
and perseverance during this pandemic. As I’ve stated previously, I’m proud of the Officers of
this department and the Town residents should feel fortunate to have these Officers protecting
their Town. I’d also like to thank the following agencies for their continued assistance: Aquinnah
Fire Department, Aquinnah Highway Department, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
Natural Resources Department, Tri-Town Ambulance, the island Police agencies, Dukes County
Sheriff’s Department, the State agencies assigned to the island, U.S. Coast Guard – Station
Menemsha, Town of Aquinnah Select Board, Board of Health, and Town employees.
Continue to be safe and best wishes for 2022!!
Respectfully submitted,
Randhi P. Belain
Chief of Police
| 2021 AQUINNAH POLICE STATISTICS | |||
| 2020 | 2021 | ||
| Medical Emergencies | 25 | 42 | |
| Alarms (Burglar) | 30 | 50 | |
| Alarms (Fire) | 30 | 25 | |
| Alarms (Other) | 18 | 14 | |
| Assist Citizen (general) | 34 | 21 | |
| Assist Outside Agency | 6 | 10 | |
| Assist Aquinnah Fire Department | 2 | 1 | |
| Assist Animal Control Officer | 7 | 7 | |
| Public Utility / Hazardous Condition | 2 | 14 | |
| Assault & Battery | 4 | 1 | |
| B&E and Attempted B&E | 1 | 0 | |
| Domestic Related Activity | 8 | 8 | |
| Harassment Complaints | 1 | 2 | |
| ID Theft/Fraud | 3 | 2 | |
| Larceny | 4 | 1 | |
| OUI | 1 | 0 | |
| Other Alcohol Related Incidents | 0 | 1 | |
| Sexual Assaults | 1 | 1 | |
| Lewd Behavior | 0 | 0 | |
| Shoplifting | 0 | 0 | |
| Vandalism / Destruction of Property | 1 | 0 | |
| Motor Vehicle Complaints | 3 | 1 | |
| Covid-19 Related Complaints | 2 | 0 | |
| Disputes / Disturbances | 3 | 4 | |
| Animal Complaints | 7 | 0 | |
| Fireworks / Gunshot Complaints | 3 | 0 | |
| Hunting/Fishing Complaints | 3 | 2 | |
| Noise Complaints | 4 | 2 | |
| Parking Complaints | 5 | 7 | |
| Trespass Complaints | 1 | 1 | |
| Suspicious Vehicles, Persons, Activities | 29 | 23 | |
| Marine Mammal Incidents | 1 | 0 | |
| Welfare Checks | 6 | 5 | |
| Missing Person | 0 | 1 | |
| Child Welfare | 3 | 4 | |
| Marine Watercraft Incidents | 0 | 0 | |
| Bicycle Accidents | 0 | 1 | |
| Moped Accidents | 0 | 1 | |
| Motor Vehicle Accidents | 5 | 9 | |
| Motor Vehicle vs. Deer / Other Animal | 7 | 3 | |
| Deaths | 0 | 1 | |
| By-Law Violations | 1 | 0 | |
| Arrests | 7 | 2 | |
| Protective Custody | 0 | 0 | |
| Criminal Complaint Applications | 7 | 10 | |
| Incidents on Tribal Lands | 24 | 24 | |
| Total Incidents | 275 | 277 | |
| Motor Vehicle Stops | 173 | 205 | |
| Motor Vehicle Citations Issued | 28 | 45 | |
| Parking Tickets Issued | 541 | 675 | |