Page 10 - BusinessWest January 10, 2022

Community Spotlight
Chicopee Promotes Public Safety, Business Health
By Mark Morris
Fresh off his re-election, Chicopee Mayor John Vieau said the main goal for his sec- ond term is the same when he first cam-
paigned for the office two years ago: a focus on public safety.
“A city can have great schools, great trash pickup, and low taxes, but if you don’t feel safe, those other things aren’t so important,” Vieau said.
“A city can have great schools, great trash pickup, and low taxes, but if you don’t feel safe, those other things aren’t so important.”
In the mid-1980s, Chicopee bolstered its police force by hiring a large number of officers. Nearly 40 years later, the city has seen many of those officers retire from the force, while others have left due to COVID-19 concerns to pursue other careers. For Vieau, this created multiple challenges.
“Based on civil-service exams, we hired 10 replacements for our retiring officers,” he said. “Then we ran into a quagmire because at first we couldn’t send them to the police academy because it was closed during the worst of the pandemic.”
As the academy eased its mandates, those officers completed training, and Vieau has hired an additional 15 officers with the intent of bring- ing the police force back to full strength.
In addition to new officers, Chicopee is encouraging a new style of policing by introduc- ing community policing at a substation on Cen- ter Street. With officers on walking beats, they are better able to make connections with people.
“This has been very successful because people are seeing the same officers who are building relationships and rapport with folks in the neigh- borhood,” the mayor said, adding that he’s look- ing to eventually bring a substation to Williman- sett as well as other parts of the city.
The concern for public safety also extends to the Fire Department, which staffs two ambulanc- es 24/7. Recently the fire chief suggested a pilot program to add a third ambulance for overnight coverage. The suggestion came about due to demand for more coverage during those hours as well as the closing of the private ambulance com-
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10 JANUARY 10, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Chicopee at a Glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1848
POPULATION: 55,560
AREA: 23.9 square miles
COUNTY: Hampden
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $16.99 COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $37.39
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $35,672 MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $44,136
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Mayor; City Council
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: Westover Air Reserve Base; J. Polep Distribution Services; Callaway Golf Ball Operations; Dielectrics; MicroTek
* Latest information available
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