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Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 6, 2026 POLICE | FROM PAGE 1 to the stated goal of this Order.” As someone who has interacted with this community in a law enforcement capacity for over 30 years, I’d like to believe that the vast majority of our residents would support any goal of a safe, livable and welcoming community. As Chief, it’s at the core of what we do every day, while striving to protect the rights and dignity of all members of our community. That said, the proposed “order” is not one that I support for several reasons. We are a department guided heavily by state laws (MGL’s), Code of Mass Regulations (CMR’s) and our departmental policy, in particular, our State Accreditation policies which guide absolutely everything we do. Injecting this “order” language into our policies would be con8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Tues. - Sat. at 4:00 PM Closed Sun. & Mon. 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The MPD, MFD, MPS, MHA, Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD), just to name a few, have all received federal funding and/or training at one point or another and many annually. A categorical prohibition on assisting or cooperating with federal agencies risks intentionally impairing these critical functions, even when that cooperation has no connection to immigration enforcement and directly serves local public safety priorities. Federal agencies are connected to the Malden Police Department in the same manner they are connected to most midsized municipal police departments: through formal, routine, and legally authorized mechanisms. These connections primarily arise from joint task forces, grant funding, intelligence sharing, training programs, and ~ Home of the Week ~ CHELSEA - GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE 7 CORNER UNITS ALL 2 BEDROOMS, 2 FULL BATHROOMS, WITH LAUNDRY IN UNIT AND ALL WITH A DEEDED PARKING SPACE. 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For example, Malden officers participate in FBI-led task forces (such as Joint Terrorism Task Forces, violent crime initiatives, missing and exploited children, Bank Robbery Task Force, and others), we work with ATF on firearms tracing and gun-crime investigations, coordinate with DEA partners on narcotics trafficking and enforcement, and we work with the U.S. Marshals fugitive task forces. These relationships are standardized nationwide and typically governed by memoranda of understanding, agreements, or grant conditions, which we currently have. In addition, federal involvement commonly flows through an administrative and operational infrastructure. This includes DOJ grant programs (e.g., Byrne JAG, COPS), access to federal databases and intelligence products via regional fusion centers, in our case the Commonwealth Fusion Center (CFC), FEMA coordination during disasters, and federally provided training through institutions like Federal Law Enforcement training centers (FLETC) or the FBI National Academy. None of these connections are unique to Malden, these are connections available to all municipalities across the country. This is a standard policing model, in which municipal departments are integrated into a multilayered federal, state, and local law-enforcement system. These connections are ordinary, transparent, and policy-driven. To sever our ties to these critical federal partnerships would be completely irresponsible and would undoubtedly place our community in the dark, out of touch, and in danger. Information is the lifeblood that ensures a safe, livable and welcoming community. Contrary to the goals stated in the “order,” it’s important to understand that police officers are not situated in the same way as other municipal employees or departments. By the very nature of our profession, local law enforcement agencies such as ours are inextricably connected to a wide range of state and federal law enforcement partners. These relationships are not discretionary or political; they are rooted in statutory obligations, court orders, task force participation, information-sharing requirements, and long-standing public safety mechanisms. Many of these communications occur through mandatory reporting channels that exist specifically to safeguard our local community from serious crime, violence, terrorism, human trafficking, narcotics distribution, and other threats. A blanket statement that “no city employees shall assist in fulfilling the unique and separate responsibilities of the Federal Government” is excessive and risks undermining legitimate and necessary public safety functions. This approach, to me, reflects a reaction to a complex and problematic national issue rather than the operational realities of local policing. Effective public safety requires limited, purposeful communication with federal partners when it directly advances the protection of our community, and needs to be free to be accomplished without a subjective set of goals. While the proposal states that the “order” “shall not require the City to break preexisting contracts or agreements with Federal entities” this appears intended to mitigate legal risk, it introduces significant confusion and operational challenges. The term “pre-existing” is inherently subjective and undefined. This creates uncertainty as to which agreements are covered, how long they are covered, how they are interpreted, and who determines whether a given activity falls within or outside the scope of a protected agreement. More importantly, the language would appear to prohibit the City, and by extension the Police Department, from entering into any future contracts, expired contracts, memoranda of understanding, task force agreements, or grant-related arrangements with federal agencies, regardless of their purpose or benefit to the community. This could effectively freeze the Department’s ability to adapt to emerging public safety needs, access federal resources, or participate in lawful cooperative efforts that are routine for local police departments. I’m going to provide you with two examples of how critically important our ties are with our federal partners: Just a few years ago, the cities

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