Following an assignment to Martha’s Vineyard that lasted just one year, this month Environmental Police Sergeant Kenneth Clayton returned to patrolling the woods and waters of his native Cape Cod. Environmental police officials said a new officer is expected to be chosen to fill the Island assignment soon, but the Island’s high cost of living remains a challenge for any individual who would like to avoid a commute and take up residence.
The environmental police are responsible for enforcing state hunting, fishing, and environmental regulations. Once referred to as a game warden, the environmental police officer’s (EPO) beat cuts across the Island’s six town boundaries and includes the woodlands, fields, and surrounding waters.
The Vineyard posting is unique in that the assignment calls for an EPO with the rank of sergeant. Advancement is one of the enticements for rank-and-file officers seeking the Vineyard post, which comes with no requirement that an officer remain for a specified period.
In a telephone conversation with The Times last week, Lt. Colonel Chris Baker, until recently acting director of the Environmental Police, explained the assignment process, and said that by union contract, an officer may make a lateral transfer when a position becomes open in any district. When a position opened up on the Cape, Sergeant Clayton, a resident of Harwich, sought a transfer.
Lt. Colonel Baker said no one holding the rank of sergeant chose to bid on the newly opened Vineyard assignment, so the position will now be offered to an EPO with seniority who scored well on the civil service test for promotion to the rank of sergeant.
Mr. Baker said the Nantucket and Vineyard posts are reserved for sergeants because of the relatively isolated nature of the islands, and the need for an experienced individual who has the confidence and sense of discretion from years on the job that would allow him or her to feel comfortable acting independently.
He said it is not a post for a new officer. “It really doesn’t benefit the community and doesn’t benefit the officer,” he said, “because we may be setting them up for failure where they don’t have the support system available to them, so we wanted to have a senior officer out there who could take decisive action and work in the community a little better because they are more comfortable as a law enforcement officer.”
Lt. Colonel Baker said one of the challenges for any officer considering a move as opposed to a commute is the high price of Island real estate. “It makes it difficult to find permanent housing,” he said, or even temporary housing where an officer could spend the night.
The Environmental Police are currently speaking with the Division of Marine Fisheries about use of part of the old lobster hatchery building overlooking the Lagoon in Oak Bluffs for temporary stays. He said the permitting process would be tough. He said the Division of Conservation Resources uses existing facilities in the state forest for their staff and programs.
“In the short term, we are stuck with a commuting officer, but we are looking into housing possibilities, and would welcome any suggestion from local land conservation organizations that would be happy to have an EPO living on their property,” he said. “We would be happy to take a look at it and see if we can work something out.”
On Nantucket, an arrangement with the Coast Guard provides housing for the EPO and his family.
Lt. Colonel Baker said the Environmental Police currently fields 86 officers across the state. That number is well below what is needed, and the agency is now hiring. With so few officers, he said, EPOs really count on close cooperation with local police and the public. “We can’t be everywhere,” he said.
Once the Island’s newest EPO is selected, he or she will have a week or two to transition out of his or her current district to the Vineyard. The commute is not counted as part of the officer’s 8.5-hour patrol.
The last resident EPO was William “Bill” Searle, a resident of Edgartown, who worked closely with Island sportsmen and police departments. After 26 years, in 2004, Sergeant Searle retired.
Sergeant Pat Grady, a Sandwich resident, commuted to the Vineyard for five years before he transferred to a mainland district. After eight months during which the Vineyard was without a dedicated EPO, in July 2009, Sergeant Matt Bass, a resident of Bourne with strong Island connections and in-laws, took up the post. After three years patrolling the Island, Sergeant Bass, now a lieutenant, was reassigned to the Lower Cape and Falmouth.
Sergeant Mike Camire of Falmouth replaced Sergeant Matt Bass for one year, followed by Sergeant Clayton.
Lt. Colonel Baker said the advantage of rotating officers though districts is a new perspective. Sometimes familiarity can be tough in a small community, he said.
One year ago in January 2013, then newly minted sergeant Kenneth Clayton, married and with two grown stepsons, began his Vineyard tenure, and over the course of one year commuted from his home in Harwich.
In a conversation with The Times, Sergeant Clayton said he very much enjoyed working with the people on the Vineyard, in particular the police and tribal rangers, who he described as “gracious” and “dedicated to their work.”
“Personally and professionally, it is time for me to continue to develop, but it is going to take me someplace else,” Sergeant Clayton said about his decision to request a lateral transfer to an open position on the Cape.
Sergeant Clayton said that although he had some idea about what to expect before he arrived on the Island, it was a new experience. “You don’t really understand the challenges of Island living until you are here,” he said. “It takes a certain amount of independent spirit to live here.”
Sergeant Clayton said that in some respects it is easier to be a law enforcement officer in a close-knit community when you come from outside the community. “I’m not distracted by a possible violator who also happened to have put in my tile bathroom,” he said.
Mr. Clayton said he fell in love with the natural beauty of the Island, in particular Chappaquiddick. And he was surprised by the “crazy number” of women who like to fish. “If there were a bridge I wouldn’t leave here, but then it wouldn’t be the same place either,” he said.
