Friday, September 26, 2025
To all Citizens of New Bedford,
On the date of Monday, September 22, 2025, the New Bedford Police Union put out a post on its Facebook page regarding the position of Captain, the Division Commander, for the North End police station. This was put out to make the public aware that since early June of 2025, the North End station has been without a Division Commander. There are also people who are still unaware that the North End police station is closed to the public, and that anyone going to the station has to use a Ring camera style doorbell to be connected to our communications division, and once this is done, then a cruiser will be dispatched to the station to speak with the party.
As stated above, the post was meant to inform the public that the North End station has been without a Division Commander, and to also highlight that there is a Division Commander in the South End, Captain Nathaniel Rodriguez. Union Leadership has brought this to the current Chief of Police, Chief Jason Thody, and Assistant Deputy Chiefs Derek Belong and Scott Carola, and they all recognize the importance of having a Captain as the Division Commander at the North End Station. The request to fill this position was brought to the Mayor’s Office, however once it reached that level it was disagreed upon that the position should be filled. The post then ends with highlighting the fact that the absence of a Division Commander at the North End Station is increasingly unsustainable, that leadership at that level is not optional, and that it is essential to the stability, morale, and effectiveness of our Union members who work out of that station. The Union received support from members of the City Council, and members of the public, all voicing support for the importance of this position.
On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, an article was published on 1420 WBSM, authored by Tim Weisberg. In this article, a city spokesperson said that the Union’s request was nothing more than a “bargaining position”, as the Union and the City of New Bedford are currently in the midst of contract negotiations. Quoting from the article, City of New Bedford spokesperson Jonathan Darling stated “The Union’s sudden protestations about the North End station have to do with its bargaining position. The Union continues to cling to the outdated practice that senior management positions like Captains should remain in the same bargaining unit as all other officers”.
It is clear, based on the statements provided by Jonathan Darling, that Mayor Jonathan Mitchell believes that senior management positions like the rank of Captain should no longer be a part of the bargaining unit. Whether this position is correct or not is not for me to decide, however what I will say on behalf of the Union is this: the current Captains that we have within the department are members of this Union, same as the Lieutenants, Sergeants, and all Patrol Officers (there are a very small amount of non-Union members, however these persons have elected to withdraw from the Union for their own reasons). So long as the rank of Captain is a part of this bargaining unit, then Union leadership will continue to advocate for that position and for any other position within the Union, rank or non-rank. The purpose of a Union is to protect its members, protect the work opportunities of its members, and to advocate for its members when advocacy is needed.
A police department is comprised of rank and non-rank officers, who are sworn to uphold the laws of the city/town/state they are assigned to. A police department is a paramilitary organization, structured in such a way to adhere to a strict code, uniformity, and rank structure. Rank structure is vital to any organization, as it provides clear guidance, understanding, and structure to an organization. When a piece of the rank structure is missing, it essentially throws a “wrench in the works”. A Captain, a Division Commander, is an intermediary between the individual stations and the Office of the Chief of Police, where the message from the Chief’s office makes its way down to the individual stations. This message is then distributed by the Captain to the individual ranking officers to then be distributed to the patrol officers. A Captain is responsible for ensuring that all reliefs for each station are in proper order, that if any of the reliefs require anything that he forwards this message to the appropriate individuals, and also to ensure that the ranking officers beneath him/her (Lieutenants, Sergeants) feel supported and know that if there is an issue it can be addressed accordingly.
More recently, as part of an ever-growing community police mindset within the department, the Captains have also been tasked with attending community meetings, where their primary goal is to listen to the issues and concerns of the members of the community. By listening to these concerns, the Captains can bring back vital information to the rank and file of the stations they command, wherein officers can then work together with the community to address any problems in their areas. By having this cooperation between the department and the community, it engages in a meaningful and trusting relationship between police and the public they serve.
There is a command structure, in common vernacular referred to as “chain of command”, within the police department. It starts with a Patrol Officer, then it goes to Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Deputy Chief, Deputy Chief, and then Chief of Police. The Union has no say regarding the Chief, Deputy Chief, or Assistant Deputy Chief positions as these are administrative positions outside of the bargaining unit, however for any positions within the bargaining unit, we will continue to advocate for all of our members and continue to push for all positions to be filled. This Union has always advocated for all of our members, and we will continue to do so.
Respectfully,
Ofc. Lorenzo Gonzalez III
President, New Bedford Police Union
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