600 Days

Friday, February 20, 2026

To All,

600

It is official! The New Bedford Police Union (hereinafter NBPU) is officially now 600 days without a contract! Exclamation points after a sentence usually point to a statement of excitement, of positivity, but unfortunately in this context they signify disappointment and frustration. The NBPU has been without a contract since June 30, 2024, and it has been a long and disheartening journey for those of us who simply want the contract matter to be settled.

As you may have seen recently, we have been more visible in recent months, having quiet gatherings at various events in the city, holding our signs getting our message out. Those of us who have stood outside of the Zeiterion Theater, outside of City Hall, and more recently at Leonard’s Wharf where Governor Maura Healey came down to kick-off her re-election campaign; we have not been loud, abrasive, rude, nor have we used foul language or yelled out. We encourage passersby to honk the horn as a show of support, and many people have honked their horns in support, rolled down their windows to verbally express their support for us, and those on foot have come up to us to express not only their support, but also the same thing that we have felt these last 600 days – FRUSTRATION. We have also increased our social media presence, putting our message out on various social media platforms to reach more people, and the amount of support received is encouraging.

It is frustrating that we have been without a contract for so long. It is frustrating that we cannot come to an agreement with Mayor Jonathan Mitchell for a fair and equitable contract. It is frustrating that the Mayor has no issues going to the media stating that “crime is down” in the City of New Bedford, that violent crime and property crime has gone down based on statistics and data, and yet, when it comes time to settle a contract with the men and women responsible for the reduction in crime, the Mayor seems to forget us.  He seems to forget that this is due to the hard work of the men and women of this Union, who go out every single day and perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. It is frustrating for us that it seems we consistently fall behind, always having to play catch-up for an expired contract. It should also be noted that the last contract expired for an even longer period, going on approximately two and a half years before it was finally settled.

I have no doubts that it is also equally frustrating for the citizens of New Bedford, who have seen their property taxes steadily increase over the years, and have lost services as a result. As a result of the loss of personnel, the number of patrol officers decreased (though the department has been working steadily on increasing those numbers again). There has also been a loss of personnel in our specialized units, such as the Major Crimes Division (MCD), where the department organizational chart shows sixteen detectives, yet there are only six currently. Or the former Organized Crime Intelligence Bureau, now the Violent Crime Investigative Unit, which according to the chart is supposed to have nineteen detectives, and now only has ten detectives. At one point, there were four K9 officers, and the department currently has no K9 officers. In the past there were two detectives who were certified in crime scene processing, and currently there are none (this issue will be rectified soon as the detectives in MCD are being sent to training for crime scene processing). In the past there were community police officers assigned to each patrol sector of the city, now there are only three. These units are essential in solving property crimes, quality of life issues, and other lesser crimes that can affect the people of our city. While Uniform Patrol officers proactively patrol the streets of our city and respond to calls for service, the members of the specialized units mentioned above can further investigate matters, deal with minor quality of life issues that are affecting members of the community and further engage with the community and create trusting relationships.

It again should also be noted that there has been a lack of promotions, and this is detrimental to the men and women of our Union who have put in countless hours away from their families, friends, and loved ones as they studied with the hopes of getting elevated to a higher rank. It is disheartening to those who were on a promotional list, after having put in the time and effort, and seeing that list expire. This is more disheartening, especially knowing that there are open ranking officer positions that need to be filled, and seeing this does upset people. The importance of police promotions was highlighted in an article written earlier this year, which can be found on our Union website.

The question was asked recently, “Can the people of New Bedford expect a lessening of services because the Union is out of contract?”. The answer to this is a loud and resounding NO! Though overall services from certain units have decreased (through no fault of our own) due to personnel decreases, this does not mean that the members of our Union still present, still coming in every single day, will decrease our services to the people of our community. We have continued solving major incidents, to include Discharging of Firearms, Assault and Batteries with Dangerous Weapons, Drug Trafficking and Drug Possession cases, Illegal Possession of Firearms cases, Assault and Batteries, Larcenies of Property, Robberies (Armed and Unarmed), and other calls for service including domestic related incidents, medical assistance calls. Being out of contract does not mean that we stop working, we have sworn oaths to the people of New Bedford, to not only serve them, but also serve others who come to our city.

The men and women of the NBPU want what every employee working in the private or public sector wants, fair and equitable treatment. We want a settled contract that is current and up to date, and we want to be able to negotiate for future contracts within a reasonable time without them being expired for over a year. On behalf of all members of the NBPU, I would like to end this statement with this:

We are proud to serve the people of the City of New Bedford. We are immensely thankful for all the support and encouragement received not only from people in the community, but visitors who come to our fair city. We are thankful for the support we receive from members of the City Council and other community leaders and organizers. The NBPU loves our city, our people, our community, and we will always serve you with pride and professionalism. Our duty to serve does not expire, we are still serving, still protecting our city, and still waiting for the Mayor to do his part in recognition of our efforts.

In Unity and Respect,

Ofc. Lorenzo Gonzalez

NBPU President