TO:                  Mayor William F. Martin, Jr.

                                    And

                        Members of the Lowell City Council

FROM:            Bernard F. Lynch, City Manager

DATE:             May 21, 2007

RE:                   Council Motion of 5/8/07 by Councillor Rita Mercier

“Request the City Manager respond to reports of Lowell Police transferring to Boston if so, what are the plans for police coverage here?”

Regarding the motion mentioned above, I have been in contact with Ken Lavallee, Acting Superintendent of Police.  Ken stated that there has been a total of six officers that have requested a transfer to the Boston Police Department.  Boston has received a significant number of requests and are currently choosing the officers they will accept.  The officers who successfully complete the transfer process will begin a 5-week academy which begins the first week in July.  At this time, we have not been notified about the number of Lowell officers that the Boston Police Department will accept.  However, please note that the Lowell Police Department is fully confident that the positions that may be vacated will be filled with new recruits and lateral transfers.  As of July 1, 2007, the Lowell Police Department plans to begin the process of screening individuals for lateral transfers.  In Acting Superintendent Lavallee’s opinion, the long term impact would be minimal. 

If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you.