Policy Order O-4

WHEREAS: Cambridge City Hall is the primary location in which City Councillors, City administrators, and members of the public are able to interact with one another, to discuss issues impacting the community, and to conduct City business; and

WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has long strived to make City Hall as open and as accessible to people as possible, and it has succeeded to an admirable degree. Whether people live or work in Cambridge, or whether they are visiting City Hall for other purposes, City Hall is freely open to the general public during normal business hours; and

WHEREAS: Unlike many other city halls and public buildings throughout the Commonwealth, Cambridge has eschewed metal detectors and other, similar security measures in favor of having a more welcoming open-door policy. It has long been recognized that any safety issues can and will be addressed by the steady rotation of Cambridge Police officers who circulate throughout Central Square. The Cambridge Police Department has stated, on multiple occasions, that any calls placed from within City Hall for police intervention can usually be met within a matter of minutes; and

WHEREAS: The professionalism, dedication, and swift response time of the Cambridge Police Department is not being called into question. Yet a concern nevertheless remains: should an incident requiring immediate police intervention occur, even waiting three minutes for the call to be placed to the Cambridge Police Department, for an officer to be dispatched, and for that officer to arrive inside City Hall could be the critical difference between a minor incident and something significantly more grievous; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Police Commissioner and other appropriate City personnel and then report back to the City Council on the feasibility of installing a permanent Cambridge Police Officer within City Hall to better ensure the safety of the public and the people who work within the building; and be it further

ORDERED: That this matter be referred to the Public Safety Committee.