Tisbury Police Cut Back at Steamship Terminal

By ALEXIS TONTI

The Tisbury police department has scaled back its police detail at
the boat line terminal in Vineyard Haven.

The impact this will have on arriving and departing passengers is
unclear; but the move comes as police face budget constraints in the new
fiscal year without the guarantee of a longtime Steamship Authority
reimbursement.

Several months ago Tisbury police chief Theodore (Ted) Saulnier
forecast the change, warning Tisbury selectmen that without funding from
the SSA the department budget for fiscal year 2005 would not support the
former level of police assistance and traffic control.

Tisbury selectman Tristan Israel last night confirmed that the
recent reduction in services was due to the SSA decision to withdraw its
annual reimbursement - a move the board of selectmen has adamantly
objected to since it was announced by SSA chief executive officer Fred
C. Raskin in April.

The selectmen plan to attend next Thursday's monthly boat line
meeting in Hyannis to ask the governors to overturn Mr. Raskin's
ruling.

"The SSA certainly has options. They can reconsider working
with the town, or they can address the problem by hiring their own
detail. We are not trying to be strident or belligerent, but the fact is
they stopped giving us money for the police and a change had to be
made," said Mr. Israel.

"We are still taking care of business. We are not abrogating
our responsibility to the community, to pedestrians or to public
safety," he said, adding that there will still be ample police
presence on Water street. "It may take longer for people to get
off the property, I'm sure we'll hear about that, but we are
not jeopardizing public safety in any way."

Reimbursing the Island's port towns for police assistance and
traffic control has been a well-established practice at the boat line.
But Mr. Raskin now says that with other revenue coming from a newly
enacted embarkation fee - which state legislation says is
earmarked for public safety, harbor services and port infrastructure
improvements - the boat line is no longer obligated to help out
local security forces as it has in the past.

In recent years Oak Bluffs has received $19,000 annually and Tisbury
more than $30,000 annually.

"This decision came from the CEO, and it is something that
deserved to be aired before the entire board and voted on by
them," said Mr. Israel, concluding:

"The fact is the legislation was drafted to help the
communities mitigate the economic impact of state cuts. In making this
decision, the Steamship Authority is trying to dictate how we spend the
money [from the embarkation fee]; that is for Tisbury to decide."