LEADERSHIP TEAM GETS NOD TO CONTINUE
89% of Members Voted In 2025 Election
On Tuesday June 3, 2025, approximately 20 members and two guests gathered at Il Forno’s restaurant in Littleton MA for the 18th general membership meeting of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement (MAPLE) . Following some fellowship and good food and drink, everyone got down to business. 2025 is an election year. Election Commissioner Deb Piehl reported on the voting results. All nine positions were open for challenge but all went uncontested. With 89% of the members voting the following positions were filled: President- Dennis Galvin, Vice President-Bob Champagne, Treasurer- Bill Rose, Secretary- Marcel Beausoleil, Directors- Terry Parham, Frank Mancini, Ann Marie Mires, Kathleen Dennehy and Al Puller were all re-elected. Each of these terms of office are for two years. Next election will be 2027. Additionally, Director Kathleen Dennehy was recognized as a “sustaining benefactor” for her generous contributions of time, talent and treasurer over the years. This was the first election where MAPLE utilized “Google Docs” as opposed to the US Mail to conduct voting, resulting in considerable savings.
THE TRAUMA OF DECISION MAKING
Professor Neil Shortland Briefs MAPLE On The Stress and Trauma of Decision Making
The featured guest speaker at the spring general membership meeting was Professor Neil Shortland from the Criminology Department at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Professor Shortland is a psychologist, who has seen service with British Army during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. During these campaigns he was tasked with analyzing the impact of high stakes decision making on soldiers faced with choices in which “neither alternative was a good one.” His experiences led him into a relatively new field of study called “ decision inertia”. Since leaving the military he has expanded his inquiries into policing.
Shortland noted that there are problems with the British Police, who now find themselves suffering from their own version of the “Ferguson effect”. Concerned with potential public backlash, many officers are avoiding decisions, that they need to make. Shortland revealed that many soldiers and police officers experience trauma after having made hard decisions. This trauma is not the same as post traumatic stress, which entails a physical experience. Rather, what Shortland focuses on is a “moral trauma” associated with second guessing decisions made under stress.
Shortland found that the ability to make high stakes decisions without this trauma improves with experience and training. His studies revealed that successful commanders appear to be able to size up three things very quickly and accurately (1) what is going on (2) why is it going on and (3) what other factors might impact the outcome. He noted that younger, less experienced commanders often overthink their circumstances. They can become casualties of the decision-making experience, which can impact their emotional health and paralyze them from making future decisions. While policies are important guides to decision making, Shortland said that conditions rarely ever fully replicate themselves, and it is the role of a leader to detect the subtle nuances of a situation and navigate through it.
According to Shortland, the key to successfully dealing with high stakes-decision making is to have a well-developed moral hierarchy. Persons must be aware and be confident of their values and be able to stand by them. Those with a strong value hierarchy seem to come through exposure to moral trauma, much better than those who do not. Additionally, regular training on decision making is also beneficial, because repeated exposure to mock scenarios sharpens awareness and offers an opportunity to hone outlooks and skills that can ensure both good decisions and resilience in the decision maker.
MAPLE FINANCIAL REPORT
Budget Is Reviewed and Approved
Both the Treasurer and the President offered a full financial report of the organization. Treasurer Bill Rose reported a current balance in the treasury of $6,344.91. During the period since the December general meeting, $950.00 has been received in dues and donations, while expenses have total $809.00.
President Galvin presented the organization’s budget which is estimated this year to total $8,177.32. He proposed that the revenue be apportioned as follows: $425.00 for administrative expenses, $1850.00 for operational expenses, $3,390.00 for special projects ( MAPLE Bluebook) and $2,512.00 held in reserve. The membership unanimously voted to approve both the Treasurer’s report and the 2025 budget.
SPECIAL PROJECT REPORT: THE MAPLE BLUEBOOK FOR POLICE REFORM
Ambitious Effort To Produce Outline Of Reform Practices Discussed
President Galvin painted a picture of an ambitious effort to formulate and publish a guidebook of best policing practices. Galvin stated that this effort has proceeded from the work already done by the Police Leadership and Mental Health Committees. The goal is to publish a guidebook for police agencies, the public, the press and policy makers, which will clarify and outline a comprehensive list of best practices involving police conduct and performance. It will address close to 30 topic areas. While several organizations have engaged in similar initiatives; such as Police Research Forum (PERF) and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Galvin said that MAPLE’s intent would be to (1) reach a consensus among its members (2) focused largely on Massachusetts (3) developed by persons with specific expertise within the Massachusetts environment.
The President noted that press inquires are significantly increasing concerning a wide array of police issues. This is making it necessary for the organization to research and develop its own perspectives concerning many of these issues. He said that MAPLE has already completed significant research work analyzing such sources as the Knapp commission, Mollen Commission, St Clair Report, Rampart Commission, Christopher Commission and a host of additional sources so that a compendium of lessons learned has now been compiled and can be shared. Efforts will be made to make this research available to the membership as a prelude to a new committee that will begin drafting specific recommendations. Galvin offered the following timeline: July 1- data to be posted in a drop box available to members. August- Committee formation to begin after interested members have a chance to review the data. December-first draft to be presented to the membership.
MEMBERSHIP BACKS BILLS TO RECOGNIZE FALLEN OFFICERS
Support Given To Legislation Pending On Beacon Hill
The MAPLE membership voted unanimously to support three initiatives on Beacon Hill aimed at recognizing fallen police officers and their families. HD1771 would establish a “Blue Star” license plate for families of fallen officers. HD1768 would authorize the legislature to establish a fund to ensure perpetual care of the law enforcement memorial on the state-house grounds. HD1772 would authorize that the families of fallen police officers and firefighters be presented with both a US flag and a state flag at their burial. The request for these endorsements was made by member Frank Frederickson, the state representative for the Fraternal Order of Police.
MAPLE 