Lieutenant David Irwin | (413) 583-8305 ext.2214
MA Administration of the Government, Title VII, Chapter 41, Section 98: The chief and other police officers of all cities and towns shall have all the powers and duties of constables except serving and executing civil process.
The Special Police Unit has been in operation since its creation by former Chief of Police John R. Jorge circa 1970. The unit initially consisted of one Captain, one Lieutenant, several Sergeants, Special Police Officers, and some Auxiliary Police Officers. This unit, at times in its history, has totaled over forty members. The unit presently consists of two Sergeants and approximately twenty Special Police Officers. The designation of Auxiliary Police Officer was eliminated with MA M.P.A.C. Certification in February 2018.
Special Police Officers shall have the same power to make arrests and to perform other police functions as do full-time police officers of the town. Both Academy and Field Training will be completed prior to any routine assignment in any capacity in which the reserve officer is allowed to carry a weapon or is in a position to make an arrest. Special Officers shall be subject to the same annual training requirements as said police officers, including; firearms qualification, CPR/AED/first responder recertification, legal update, use of force, defensive tactics, communicable diseases, and hazmat classes attended yearly.
Subject to the direction and control of a unit Chain-of-Command currently consisting of a full-time police officer and two Special Police Sergeants, who also act as squad leaders, Special Police Officers are part-time intermittent, at-will employees for the Town of Ludlow. Special Police Officers are held to the same training standards as full-time officers. These standards include mandated annual training classes such as; CPR/AED, First Responder, Hazardous Materials and Communicable Diseases classes, along with other training blocks of instruction. Special Police Officers may augment shift staffing and perform paid patrol duties if needed and approved by the Shift Supervisor. Special Police Officers may also perform traffic control duties at road construction sites as a paid detail, or volunteer for special events such as races and parades. Special Police may also assist with paid crowd control details such as; Precinct voting security, sporting events, Celebrate Ludlow and the annual Our Lady of Fatima Festa.
