Administration delivers $5.7M to support fire, police staffing

Gov. Maura Healey on Aug. 18 announced that 10 Massachusetts cities have received funding to help ensure sufficient staffing for emergency services.

The state funds were awarded through the Massachusetts Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program, which provides funds each year to cities that meet strict criteria set by the Legislature.

The funds were made available on an expedited basis as part of the state’s response to the July 13 fire in Fall River that killed 10 people and injured 30 others, according to the administration. Fall River is one of the 10 communities that meet the program’s strict eligibility criteria.

The Office of Grants and Research, which administers the grant program, reviewed all applications as they were received.

The program gives local leaders and public safety officials discretion to direct the funds in ways that best meet their public safety needs.

In past years, grant recipients were able to use their awarded funds over a 12-month period from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. This year, cities were given the option to use their award over a period of up to 17 months, from August 2025 through December 2026. This allows police and fire departments with urgent needs to access the funds as soon as possible. Award recipients were also given the option to continue using their funds on a 12-month timeline.

In a prepared statement, Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said the funding “will provide critical support to both our Fire and Police departments by helping to address staffing shortfalls and ensuring that we can continue delivering the high-quality public safety and emergency response services our residents rely on every day.”

Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said he’s “deeply grateful” for the $1.6 million his city received to bolster public safety staffing.

“Our city is safer and more prepared because of this program,” he said.

Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett the grant funds will enable her Police Department to “perform duties outside of routine patrol at a higher level,” such as traffic enforcement, community policing, ATV patrols, motorcycle patrols, walking beats, hot spot patrols, drug interdiction, and community meetings.

The other seven cities receiving funding are Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Newton, Malden and Somerville.