Chief Against Nunez Reappointment

At last night’s Select Board meeting, Interim Police Chief John Cotton recommended that Sergeant Kristina Nunez not be reappointed to the Ashfield Police Department, since she is “difficult to work with.”

At the annual town meeting in May, voters eliminated the sergeant’s position in favor of a full-time chief and 30 hours of reserve officer time, to be divided among four reserve officers. But Cotton’s recommendation, if followed, would mean that Nunez would not be eligible for any of the reserve officer positions.

Cotton cited numerous instances where Sergeant Nunez displayed “poor decision making skills.” The first occurred just after he took office in March, when she requested five days of personal time. When the chief checked with the Town Administrator, he found that she did not have the time accrued.

Cotton went on to say that, twice since then, Sergeant Nunez misinformed him on the time of important events. In one case, the misinformation nearly left the town’s Memorial Day Parade unprotected. (See “Chief Cotton to the Rescue,” reported here earlier this month.) Cotton said that, when he asked Nunez how she had gotten the time of the parade wrong, she told him “she was just winging it because she would not be involved” and that he should have asked someone else.

The other was a meeting at Sanderson Academy regarding security following the problems in police staffing at the Special Election held there in January. Nunez informed Cotton that the meeting was at 7:30 p.m. and that he didn’t have to attend. Cotton showed up at 7:15 p.m. to find the meeting in full swing with Nunez already present.

He then cited a major security breech, when Nunez left the cruiser key ring unattended on the ground in the unsecured parking lot of the Highway Department. (See “Have Keys Will Travel” and “The Great Cruiser Keys Caper” in the February archives of this blog.) This ring contained not only the keys to the cruiser, but keys to the town garage fuel pumps, Town Hall, the Police Department offices, and the Knox Boxes that allow the keyholder free access to a number of homes and business in Ashfield.

“We were fortunate,” Cotton said, “that a town citizen saw the keys, secured them, and turned them over to the Select Board in a timely manner.”

Nunez’s care of the town’s cruisers also came under fire. When Cotton took office in March, he found that Nunez, the highest ranking officer in the department since John Svoboda’s suspension last summer, had allowed the registration on the Explorer and inspections on both cruisers to lapse.

Then, after the Explorer was finally reregistered, Cotton entrusted its inspection to Nunez. Four weeks after the registration, Cotton took the vehicle in himself. He also ordered Nunez to replace the studded snow tires in the Taurus by May 1, in accordance with state law. By May 7, this had not yet been done, so Cotton took care of the matter himself.

Select Board Member Norm Russell asked if the cruisers were being used during this time and was told that they were being regularly used for patrols, including traffic stops, despite their illegal status.

Cotton reported that the handling of the cruisers was part of a pattern of poor follow-through on assigned tasks. After the security problems during the Special Election in January, then Police Liaison Ted Murray had asked Nunez for a report on what had happened. That report was not completed until April.

Shortly after taking office, Cotton found that one of the department’s firearms was missing. He ordered Nunez to report it as stolen in a nationwide computer system. When she had not done so some months later, he asked why and was told that it was a “very low priority on her list of things to do.” When he informed her that it was now at the top of her priorities list, she questioned his authority to do so.

Cotton said he often receives e-mails from an iphone at two or three in the morning, saying that Nunez will not be on time the following day. Even simple things like unpacking the department’s new fax machine took several weeks, and Cotton eventually had to do it himself.

When Board Chair Dave DeHerdt asked how Nunez spent her time on duty, according to her logs, Cotton said that it was hard to tell, but that the logs contained a lot of security checks on town residences. He acknowledged the importance of security checks but said that reporting a stolen firearm was even more important.

Cotton did highlight Nunez’s strengths, such as her extensive knowledge regarding domestic violence and familiarity with the court system. He said she is skilled at clerical work, knows the department’s computer system, and is aware of grant opportunities available to the town. She is also familiar with the Massachusetts General Laws. He commended her involvement in the Triad program and the talks she gives at Sanderson Academy on matters such as bicycle safety.

But on the whole, Cotton felt that he could not recommend her reappointment.

Cotton did recommend the reappointment of Officer Jarek Konopko, citing Konopko’s punctuality, dedication, and willingness to learn. “I think he’s an asset to the police department,” Cotton said.

David King