Northampton considers periodic review of police task force agreement
Councilors discussed concerns after masked officers in unmarked vehicles were confused with federal immigration agents.
NORTHAMPTON — Northampton City Council members are debating whether the city should periodically reassess its agreement with a regional police task force after officers wearing masks and driving unmarked vehicles have been mistaken for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
During a Wednesday night council meeting, Ward 6 Councilor Christopher Stratton raised concerns about the city's agreement with the Northwestern Anti-Crime Task Force, which operates across 16 municipal police departments in Franklin and Hampshire counties. Stratton noted that the current agreement has no expiration date, meaning the city never periodically reviews it. He pointed out that masked officers in unmarked vehicles have been commonly mistaken for ICE agents and said residents should be able to distinguish between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
At-Large Councilor Meg Robbins described a specific incident from the previous summer when false reports of ICE agents at State and Main streets circulated on social media but turned out to be task force officers. "It was upsetting for people on Main Street to be seeing folks in blacked-out windows and folks in masks," she said.
Alan Wolf, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra's chief of staff, explained that the incident Robbins referenced stemmed from a vehicle stop related to littering in the area. He said the situation occurred during an enforcement effort in Pulaski Park aimed at addressing drug activity there.
A written statement from the District Attorney's office clarified that narcotics officers assigned to the task force wear masks to protect their identities when they are not working undercover. The statement noted that the masks must identify officers as law enforcement. District Attorney David Sullivan also stated that the task force does not assist with immigration enforcement and directed members to use masks sparingly to avoid alarming the public.
Ward 3 Councilor Laurie Loisel, a former District Attorney spokesperson, said she would need to learn more about the task force's current actions in Northampton before forming an opinion on whether to require periodic reauthorization of the agreement.
No formal action was taken by the council during Wednesday's discussion.