In what the Rindge Police Department hopes to make an annual event, officers spent the evening at the Rindge Recreation Department on Tuesday night, presenting department statistics, responding to community concerns collected in a community survey and providing time for residents to ask questions.
During the presentation, Chief Rachel Malynowski, Det. Chris Martin and Sgt. Nick Lavoie covered both a community survey conducted over the last several months and department statistics.
Officers in Rindge work 10-hour shifts, typically alone. Throughout their shifts, officers will put approximately 80 to 120 miles on their cruiser while patrolling.
Malynowski said the session is intended to become an annual event to give police a chance to discuss topical issues, and for residents to have their questions answered.
“A big director of this is to find out what we can do better to provide service, even in our limited capacity,” said Lavoie, referencing the fact that the department is currently down three officers, leaving the sergeant, detective, chief and three patrol officers. This has left the department unable to provide an officer on duty 24 hours a day.
Malynowski said she would not disclose the exact hours an officer is not staffed in the department, but said the decision was made based on a review of past data identifying the slowest days and times of day. She said it represents about 10% of the week that the department is not staffed.
Malynowski said during those hours, an officer who lives locally remains on call for emergencies. She said that’s not the ideal situation.
One of the misconceptions, Lavoie said, is that the State Police can provide service to Rindge overnight, as is the practice in some towns. However, state law does not allow State Police to patrol in towns with a population over 3,000 people, outside of the state roadways.
Officers spoke of the issues in hiring for their empty positions, including a lack of incentives, upward movement, or higher pay caps that other departments may offer, providing competition. In the past 10 years, the department has paid to train and outfit a total of 15 officers, none of whom are still with the department, with most moving on to other departments for either better pay or better scheduling.
The Select Board recently adjusted the wage scale for starting police officers. Before the adjustment, starting pay was $55,930, which was the 34th lowest of the 35 agencies hiring through the police hiring service the department uses. After the adjustment, starting pay is $60,000, which ranks 28th out of the 35 agencies.
Officers discussed the results of the survey, particularly areas residents identified as areas of great concern. When asked about how concerned they were about certain situations in Rindge during daytime hours, the two highest areas of concern were criminal mischief/vandalism and not having an officer available to respond.
In 2025, Rindge responded to a total of 7,932 calls, 141 motor vehicle accidents, two of which were fatalities, and made 239 arrests. Rindge made 24 arrests for criminal mischief in 2025.
When asked the same question about night coverage, in addition to the criminal mischief and unavailable officer, police spoke to two other concerns: Burglaries and driving through Rindge.
In 2025, Rindge made 27 arrests for driving while intoxicated, 29 arrests for reckless or negligent operation, and is currently investigating 8 burglaries.
Malynowski said that increased patrol presence can help cut down on road complaints and accidents, noting that during the most recent seven-month period that the department was fully staffed, there was a 20% reduction in accidents.
Malynowski spoke to some common questions or concerns reported on in the survey. She said one comment that was received is that officers should spend more time on the road and less in the office. She said this may be a misperception based on the fact the department has multiple cruisers, but often only one officer is on. She said another comment is that officers can use their cruiser computers to do their reporting, rather than at the station. She said that while the computers are useful for inputting short stops or interactions, it is usually insufficient for involved investigations. She also added that there is potential safety issues with having an officer distracted by trying to do reports while in the field.
She spoke about frustrations about “police not doing anything” when called. Malynowski said some incidents they receive calls on are civil issues, and some, while some issues, such as noise complaints, may be irritating but not unlawful, since Rindge does not have a noise ordinance.
Malynowski also welcomed anyone with specific questions to call the department and request an appointment to speak with her.