Framingham-Natick Want To Create Joint Drug Task Force

By Susan Petroni (Patch staff)

The Framingham and Natick Police Departments want to create a joint Framingham-Natick Narcotics Task Force.

Natick Selectmen have already approved an agreement. Framingham Selectmen will be asked to approve the agreement at its meeting on Tuesday, July 7.

The formation of this task force will benefit both communities by allowing these detectives to work more efficiently and effectively,” said Framingham Police Chief Ken Ferguson.

“Drug dealers do not consider municipal boundaries and many of the same people who are dealing in Framingham are likely also operating in Natick and vice versa,” said the Framingham Police Chief in a memo to selectmen.

Benefits include increased collaboration and information sharing as well as the availability of more personnel for manpower intensive operations, without the need to hire overtime.

This Framingham-Natick Task Force will allow both communities to more effectively address the problem of illegal drugs by combining resources and joining forces.

The two Framingham detectives will have arresting powers in Natick and the two Natick detectives assigned to the task force will have powers in Framingham.

A Memorandum of Agreement was created and reviewed and approved by Town Counsels in both communities. It is for three years.

The agreement is like a mutual aid agreement between fire departments, but it covers specific instances when Framingham and Natick Police in the task force can provide mutual aid to the communities.

Mutual aid request can be used for narcotics crimes, “violent crimes, and gang related criminal activity or any other investigation agreed upon by the members of the Task Force at its sole discretion.”

Drug task forces are not a new concept.

After evaluating the results of the Framingham-Natick collaboration, additional communities could be added to the task force in the future, wrote Chief Ferguson to Framingham selectmen.