Prior to the 2008 recession, there were 20 full-time police officer positions.

In 2015, there were 18 full-time positions. As of the start of 2020, there are 19.

• Chief of Police: 1
• Lieutenant: 1
• Sergeants: 5 (plus 1 Acting Sgt. as 1 Sgt. is out on work-related injury)
• Patrol Officers: 10
• Detective: 1

There are several models utilized to determine appropriate staffing levels including per capita, minimum staffing, budgeted and the IACP call for service model.

Per capita. Based on FBI models, recommends 2.9 officers per 1,000 residents. The 2010 U.S. Census registered the town population at 8,870 (current estimates place that number around 10,000, not to include businesses, guests, visitors and unaccounted for residents). Therefore, the recommended staffing level per the FBI is 26-29 full-time officers (dependent on what the actual population is). Ratio-based staffing is not recommended, however, due to the complex nature of determining actual and reliable data that does not account for service calls to non-residents.

Minimum staffing. This approach requires Police Command Staff to estimate the appropriate number of officers needed to fill patrol vacancies. In 2015, Chief Abbott has determined the appropriate staffing to include 22 full-time officers.

• (Mid Watch) Midnight to 8AM shift: 1 Sgt, 2 patrol officers
• (Day Watch) 8AM to 4PM shift: 1 Sgt, 2 patrol officers
• (Eve Watch) 4PM to Midnight shift: 1 Sgt, 2 patrol officers
• Detectives: 2
• Lieutenant: 1
• Chief of Police: 1

Those numbers have since changed to include the following:

• Eve Watch: 1 Sgt, 2 patrol officers, 1 K-9 Officer
• Lieutenant: 2

This would bring appropriate staffing levels to 23.

Budgeted. Simply put, "what can I afford?" This is a dangerous approach as it leaves the determination of staffing levels for police services up to Town Administration who are focused on saving money, rather than providing appropriate police coverage. Additionally, this leaves police staffing contingent on the town budget constraints.

IACP. The IACP method is the most widely-adopted because of its inclusion of real-time actual data that include incidents from the Uniform Crime Report, reactive and proactive incidents requiring police response, as well as figuring the number of officers required to handle each type of call and how long officers will spend on one call. For instance, a domestic violence incident may require all three officers to respond and therefore leaving the rest of the town without police coverage for an extended period of time until the initial incident is resolved. In 2014, Freetown had 7,327 service calls that met the criteria to be figured into the IACP formula. This number has since climbed as the number of the total incidents has increased. The IACP also involves a breakdown of the current calls for service per shift:

• Mid Watch: 22%
• Day Watch: 33%
• Eve Watch: 45%

Based on the IACP formula, Freetown should have 13 full-time patrol officers (not to include Patrol Supervisors, Detectives and Command Staff).

In the 2015 study, Chief Abbott made recommendations for adequate staffing (as listed above). As mentioned, that required staffing level has since changed to reflect the rapid growth of the town. That breakdown is as follows:

• Chief of Police: 1
• Lieutenant: 2 (1 for Administrative Duties and 1 for Patrol Supervision Duties)
• Sergeants: 5
• Patrol Officers: 13 (Including K-9)
• Detectives: 2
• Total: 23

Since the early years of the Freetown Police Department, part-time Reserve Officers have been utilized to fill vacancies in the patrol. More recently, the Reserve Officer "pool" has become the "Farm Team" of sorts for future full-time positions. While this is a great opportunity to determine which officers are best fit to become full-time, the town has continued their heavy reliance and overuse of these part-time officers when filling patrol vacancies.

Reserve Officers do not receive the same level of police training as full-time officers. Reserve Police Academies are designed to be "entry level" for those officers who serve during the summer months on Cape Cod-type police departments, Harbor Masters, Animal Control Officers, and those who work minimal shifts throughout the year and are kept under close supervision from Patrol Sergeants. It is not unheard of to have Reserve Officers working patrol shifts with other Reserve Officers and being supervised by a full-time officer who has just recently graduated from the full-time police academy.

Currently, due to the poor staffing levels and budget funding, Reserve Officers are used to fill vacancies in the patrol on a regular basis. For instance, if a patrol shift needs to be filled, there is a high probability that it will be filled using only Reserve Officers. If no Reserve Officer accepts the shift, however, the shift will not be filled with a full-time officer and therefore will "run short." Meaning, there may only be two officers assigned to patrol Freetown, which includes approximately 10,000 residents (plus visitors, guests and other unaccounted for residents) within the 36 square miles. Not only is this a huge problem for officer safety, it presents a major risk for potential lawsuits to the Town of Freetown.