Opinion: Support Shrewsbury's Public Safety Vote

The following was submitted as a letter to the editor from Shrewsbury resident Devi Sundaresan about Shrewsbury's public safety departments and the upcoming ballot question about a public safety initiative. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, email samantha.mercado@patch.com

I am a long term resident of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and I support public safety in our town. My multi-generational family of five has always enjoyed and appreciated the privilege of safe living here in Shrewsbury since 1995. So we want to speak up on behalf of younger families who are just starting out in our hometown, and who deserve this same privilege of safe living.

We fully support the Community Supporters for Public Safety campaign. Shrewsbury’s emergency communication system and police infrastructure need to keep pace with the times, so we can meet the increasing demand for services due to population growth. Today, our police station cannot fully deliver what our community needs and expects. The facility requires a more functional layout, a multipurpose training room and accommodation for female officers.

We are also long overdue for a technology refresh. Our emergency communications system has reached the end of its useful life. Our newest radios are twenty-two years old! The current system operates at a low frequency which results in poor coverage in certain parts of the town. There are just three channels which are shared by police, fire, SELCO, and the DPW.

An upgrade to this radio system will allow for reliable communication in all locations within our town. It will also enable an unlimited number of talk groups, allowing each department to have their own channel rather than sharing a frequency. This upgrade will be a great investment in the safety and wellness of the entire Shrewsbury community.

I urge every one of our Shrewsbury residents to learn more about Ballot Question #3, and vote ‘Yes’ on this initiative.
https://www.support4ps.com/