One On One With Framingham's Police Chief Steven Trask

FRAMINGHAM, MA-Framingham's newest police chief isn't new at all. Chief Steven Trask has been with the department for 32 years and is a Framingham native.

Sworn in as Chief just last month, Trask is still settling into his new role but has big plans for the department, starting with tackling diversity. "It's time to have the police department as a whole start to reflect the community that we serve," Trask said. He recently appointed two new deputy chiefs to the department: Deputy Chief Lester Baker and Deputy Chief Victor Pereira. Baker is the first African American Deputy Chief in the department and Pereira is fluent in Portuguese. "The promotions were merit based, it just happens to be a huge bonus that they reflect the community we serve," Trask said. Continuing on the point of diversifying the department, Trask added that he hopes to recruit more Latino, Brazilian and female officers.

Recruitment is not just aimed at diversity but repopulating the department in general. A police management study released last month found that "an unprecedented number of Officers are either planning to transfer out of Framingham or are already in the process of leaving," although the claim was based on interviews with officers and data has not supported or denied the claim. Trask said he realizes pay is an issue for officers who transfer to other departments or to State police. "I plan on advocating on behalf of the police department for officer pay," he said. The department also has a recruitment video circulating with the hope it will push possible applicants to take the civil service exam.

With four current patrol officer vacancies left to fill and several officers planning to retire in the coming months, the department is plugging holes everywhere it can. Patrol officers are considered the 'backbone' of the department and when one division is shorthanded, cuts have to be made to other divisions. The Traffic and Safety Division just had two officers transferred to patrol a few months back, leaving the division with just one officer. "When we do have staffing issues, other units suffer," Trask said.

Another big issue brought up by the report was a negative internal culture of the department, and Trask said he doesn't deny there's an issue at hand. The department is in the process of creating a police officer advisory committee that will handle internal complaints and issues. Trask said the committee will act as a guide for the department administration to focus their attention on specific officer needs.

Trask explained he hopes to break the illusion some officers may have of the chief and administration sitting on a different plane than them, which can be tough since Trask held his previous position of Deputy Chief since 2006. "75 percent of the officers have only known me in that role," he said. But he is insistent on connecting with officers of all rank, making weekly trips throughout the building to chat and taking time to visit officers on different shifts than the usual 9-5.

What is proving more challenging is the generational gap between patrol officers and administration. "I came on in '85.. I grew up in this department," Trask said adding that many officers of his generation began a career in police work with the goal of remaining in the job their whole lives. "This generation just has different goals and aspirations," he said.

For the coming year, Trask said he wants to keep the department focused on quality of life issues that plague the city, including creating safe school environments and getting more citizen involvement downtown. He also has plans to revamp the department's record management system which hasn't been updated in over 30 years. "It's antiquated.. it would be a huge time saver for officers and administration," Trask said. "I really want our police officers to focus on being compassionate and empathetic when they deal with the residents of the city- whether or not they are a victim of a crime, a witness of a crime or even an offender. There's a way that I want us to conduct ourselves and they've been doing it."

Photo Credit: Samantha Mercado/Patch