General Purpose
The mission of the Franklin Police Department is to work collaboratively in partnership with our community to enhance the quality of life in our town, while maintaining order and protecting the people we serve. We will accomplish this mission by providing high quality law enforcement service, doing so with professionalism, honor and integrity.
Core Functions
● Operations Division
○ Our primary function as stated in our Mission Statement is to enhance the quality of life while protecting and serving the Citizens of the Town of Franklin and the general public at large. This responsibility is accomplished by all employees of the department, but mostly through the efforts of the Operations Division who handle a majority of the requests for service the agency receives. This division consists of one Lieutenant, seven (7) Sergeants and thirty-four (34) patrol officers. The main task of the Operations Division is motorized patrol, responding to calls for service, traffic enforcement, parking related issues and performing initial investigations. The FPD
Co-Response Program consisting of three (3) highly trained mental health clinicians is also assigned to the Operations Division.
● Specialized Services Division
○ Our Specialized Services Division, led by a Lieutenant, is divided into two separate functions consisting of the Criminal Investigations / Court Unit and the Community Services Unit. The Criminal investigations / Court Unit consists of one sergeant, five (5) investigative officers, and one court officer. Their responsibility is the investigation of all major crimes, narcotics investigations, and follow-up investigations received as a result of initial reports submitted by the Operations Division. Due to the ever-present threat of illegal narcotics, one of the investigators is exclusively tasked with investigating narcotics related activities and one investigator is assigned
full-time in a multi-agency task force with the Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) agency of the Treasury Department. The Court Prosecutor is responsible for all District, Superior and Juvenile court cases making sure they are well prepared and ready for successful prosecution.
● Community Services Unit
○ Our Community Services Unit consisting of one sergeant and one patrol officer is primarily tasked with providing services to the public schools. It is our belief that their presence has been nothing short of a positive experience for students, faculty, the police department and town. Their activities include programs working with our elderly, youth, schools and local businesses.
● Administrative Services Division
○ The Administrative Services Division is responsible for managing all administrative related tasks such as records, information technology, accounting, finance, personnel, scheduling, facilities management, grant management, recruitment & training, firearms licensing, etc. To accomplish these tasks the division consists of one Lieutenant, one administrative patrol officer and two (2) civilian administrative personnel.
Staffing
● One (1) Police Chief
● One (1) Deputy Police Chief
● Three (3) Police Lieutenants
● Nine (9) Police Sergeants
● Forty-two (42) Police Officers
● Two (2) Administrative Civilian Personnel
● Three (3) Mental Health Clinicians
Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments
● Law Enforcement Accreditation
○ On October 26, 2022, the Franklin Police Department was awarded Law Enforcement Accreditation by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC). After five years of hard work and tireless determination by personnel, the department met the 382 standards necessary to obtain accreditation. Achieving accreditation is not an easy task. Of the 351 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only 121 have achieved accreditation. Only 11 of the 28 communities in Norfolk County have been awarded accreditation. Accreditation is of paramount importance to the Franklin Police Department and the community we serve. It signifies our unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professional policing, best practices, and accountability. This continuous process ensures that our policies, procedures, and operations are not only effective but also align with the most current and recognized best practices in law enforcement. An accredited agency needs to complete a reaccreditation process every three years. On October 29, 2025, the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) voted to award Re-Accreditation to the Franklin Police Department for another three-year period.
● Therapy Dog Program
○ In February, 2019, the department established a Therapy Dog Program with the purchase of Ben Franklin (Golden Retriever puppy). Ben immediately won over the hearts of the town residents and people throughout the country due to his continuing antics.
○ To capitalize on the success of the program, increase availability of a therapy dog when needed and to ensure the continuity of the program; the department purchased “Frankie”, a female chocolate Labrador Retriever in February, 2023. Frankie has completed her training program for therapy dogs and friendly find training, so she may be used to locate missing individuals during search and rescue incidents.
● Police Station Project
○ The Franklin Police Station Committee was formed through a resolution of the Town Council in early 2023. The Franklin Police Station project involves the construction of a new, modern facility to better serve the community and meet the operational needs of the police department. The project aims to improve safety, efficiency, and accessibility for the officers and the public. The current facility is outdated and does not meet the department’s needs in terms of space, technology, or operational efficiency. Upgrading to a new station will enhance public safety services, provide adequate training and workspaces for officers and ensure compliance with modern building and security standards. The Police Station Building Committee has worked with an Owners Project Manager (CHA Consulting) and a design architect (Kaestle Boos Associates) since March, 2025 to create the design of a new facility and locate an appropriate site for the new station. Public tours of the existing facility and a video series of the current station have been completed and are available on the project’s website.
● Two-Way Radio Communication Project
○ With the completion of phase 2 of the two-way radio and communication project two years ago, the department is continuing to work with the Facilities Department and the Franklin Fire Department to modernize our public safety communications system. Phase 3 includes two initiatives, the first is obtaining a simulcast license from the Federal Communications Commission and the purchase and installation of simulcast equipment at several transmission locations. The second is the construction of a radio tower in northern Franklin by a private vendor with the ability for public safety communications equipment installation. We are excited to report that the simulcast system has been completed and after a year in service, is working very well by providing a more enhanced two-way radio system. The construction of the tower in the north end of town is currently underway and we are in the process of obtaining additional licenses and equipment for installation.
● FPD Co-Response Team
○ The Franklin Police Department Co-Response Program was initially launched by a third-party behavioral health agency contracted through the Department of Mental Health in November of 2018. The program began as a regional Jail Diversion Program, partnering the Franklin Police Department and the Medway Police Department. The objective of the program was to provide on-scene crisis de-escalation, immediate support to those in need, and mental health and substance use evaluations. The intended outcome of this initiative was to keep people in the community with appropriate resources and support in place, diverting them from unnecessary arrest or hospitalization.
○ The regional program experienced great success for five years, however the needs of the Franklin police Department and the Town of Franklin grew exponentially. In July 2023, the department pursued continued grant funding through the Department of Mental Health, and launched its own
Co-Response Program independent of a third-party agency (Advocates). The program continues to pair mental health clinicians with police to best suit the needs of the community. In July 2023, a Co-Response Program Manager was hired to lead the program and utilize additional funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to hire additional mental health clinicians. In November 2023, the second clinician was hired and in April 2024 the third clinician joined the department. With three full-time clinicians, we will be able to service the community better by providing additional coverage during evenings and weekends.
○ During calendar year 2025, officers and our program clinicians completed 881 interventions of individuals encountered in a mental health related incident. This represents a significant increase from the 369 interventions completed in 2022 and the 247 completed in 2023. However, we were without the services of a clinician for the first five months (January – May) of 2022 and for the first six months (January – July) in 2023, as we were in the process of hiring clinicians. The last two years have been steady with our three clinicians averaging 858 interventions each year.
○ During 2025, forty-four (44) individuals with behavioral health conditions were diverted from arrest and into treatment. In addition to the benefit of diverting individuals in crisis from arrest, these diversions represent an estimated cost savings of $315,436 to the criminal justice system ($7,169 per arrest event). 142 individuals were diverted from unnecessary hospital admissions to facilitate outpatient treatment recommendations. In addition to receiving care outside of a hospital setting, these emergency department diversions represent an estimated health care cost savings of $310,696 ($2,188 per ED diversion).
