By William Tauro

Today’s chief of police position in Somerville is nothing but a big joke of a power-play for the mayor to gain control and do what he wants.

Having the chief of police out of civil service makes him a puppet on the strings of a puppeteer controlling the entire police force.

If the chief of police position was put back into civil service, the chief as well as Somerville police officers would actually be able to do their jobs and things will get reported and criminals would get prosecuted. Putting the chief’s job back into civil service would promote more accountability and integrity within the department.

Maybe if the Somerville City Council as well as the mayoral candidates would get together and have some serious discussions, especially before the November election gets here this could get accomplished. Maybe the Somerville City Councilors can propose a home-rule petition that will fix this problem and get the ball rolling instead of dealing with pie-in-the-sky ideas and nonessential bullshit.

As it is now with the chiefs job not in civil service, the mayor is calling all the shots.

If the chief’s position was placed back into civil service, crimes like the infamous Middlesex County Registry of Deeds Maria Curtatone’s alleged criminalized actions of serving alcohol to dozens of minors during her spring drunkfest last year would’ve been solved. The situation also resulted in a stabbing and an assault. If the mayor wasn’t calling the shots on it, the Somerville Police Department would’ve been forced to thoroughly investigate the crime and the guilty parties would’ve been prosecuted already. Instead the puppeteer pulled his strings and it was just swept under the political rug because she’s the mayor’s sister.

Crimes like the recent home invasion and violent assault of a 74-year-old widowed grandmother would’ve been swiftly investigated and the guilty party would be prosecuted instead of being swept under the political rug again.

If the mayor wasn’t controlling the police hiring list, maybe Slain MIT Police Officer Sean Collier would still be alive today? Term limits is the only thing that stops political corruption

This can only be done if people raise the issue and want to do it. You just can’t sit on your hands and hope and wait for somebody else to do it. Make a move to do it now or it will never get done.