By Beth David, Editor
The Fairhaven Select Board heard from the police chief at its 9/8/25 meeting about the plan for Fairhaven patrol officers to start wearing body cameras. Police Chief, Daniel Dorgan, started out by thanking the rank and file officers, and police union.
“They want to have cameras and transparency just as much as we do,” said Chief Dorgan. “I think in 2025 to go out on patrol without a camera is almost akin to going out without a bulletproof vest on.”
He said it is “very beneficial” to be able to investigate false claims and complaints within a matter of minutes. He also said that the District Attorney’s office said that having body camera footage gives more credence to cases.
Chief Dorgan told the board that they worked with the officers, the union, and the school department to come up with a program.
“So, it was a really good team effort and a lot of cooperation between the union and administration and I can’t say enough about how excited we are to get the program off the ground,” he said.
The equipment is on hand, he said. They will have a training at the end of October, and they will be deployed shortly after that.
He invited the public to call his office if they have any questions.
SB member Natalie Mello asked why one section of the policy says officers “may” be disciplined if they do not turn on the cameras during an incident when it is required, instead of saying they “shall” be disciplined.
Chief Dorgan said not all instances will be willful or malicious so they do not want to say that every time it is not used, someone will get disciplined. If an officer has to stop the camera, he or she is supposed to notify a supervisor. There are just too many variables, he said.
Chief Dorgan also gave an example of how he had forgotten his radio in the heat of the moment a couple of times. There is also a “blue light activation” on the cruisers to make it automatic.
SB member Andrew Romano said it was “extremely important,” and adds accountability on all sides.
SB Chairperson, Charles Murphy, said he could think of a few instances when body cameras would have helped out in the community.
Mr. Murphy also took the opportunity to thank Chief Dorgan and the Fairhaven PD for the “incredible” job they did during the Our Lady of Angels feast.
Chief Dorgan said they had nothing but “positive reviews” from people walking in. He said they obviously threw a lot on the plate of the organizers who worked hard to meet any request.
“It shows how important the feast is to them that they were pretty much willing to do anything to keep it going,” said Chief Dorgan, adding that he was happy to see it not go away because of the “foolishness” of a few people.
In another matter, the board also heard about the dismal condition of the Nimrod Cannon that the town accepted ownership of a few months ago. The cannon has been in storage, in water, for about 10 years at the Northeast Maritime Institute. The cannon was previously owned by the New Bedford Whaling Museum and on loan to Fairhaven, stored at NMI.
During the war of 1812, the HMS Nimrod attacked Falmouth, Fairhaven and Wareham. The ship ran aground off Cuttyhunk and would not float even at high tide. The captain ordered that several of the ship’s cannons be thrown overboard to lighten the ship to float. The cannon at NMI is believed to be one of those cannons retrieved 180 years later.
The cannon needed to stay in water at a specific PH level for 10-15 years, changing the water periodically to keep the PH level correct, in order to neutralize the salt water that penetrated the metal.
The time has come for the cannon to be displayed.
However, according to Historical Commission clerk*, Eleanor Chew, the cannon is not in the condition they had believed it was in.
Ms. Chew told the board it appears to have a couple of big cracks, so they are not sure it can be moved.
They need to hire a metallurgist at a cost of about $5,000 to look at the cannon. Ms. Chew said she “gasped” when she heard the cost.
“So we just need some direction,” she said.
The Historical Commission is overseeing the project, but the town owns it. The HC does not have the budget to pay for the metallurgist.
The cannon weighs at least 400 pounds, but might weigh up to 800 pounds, so finding a place to display it is another challenge. It needs to be inside, so the building it goes to needs to be able to support that weight.
Interim Town Administrator, George Samia, told the board he did not think the SB could go to the Finance Committee for the $5,000 because it does not quality as an emergency. He said they would have to get the money from Town Meeting.
Meanwhile, the town owned property is being stored on private property.
Ms. Mello asked if Community Preservation funds could be used, but that would also require going to Town Meeting.
Assistant TA Anne Carreiro, said the grant consultant might be able to find a grant.
Ms. Chew noted that it will also be fairly costly to move it so they would need funding for that, too. She has not looked into that, she said, because they are not sure of the weight of it. Meanwhile, the NMI’s President & CEO, Eric Dawicki, said the cannon can stay there, but he would like to know the plan.
The board decided to ask the grant consultant to look for a grant. The issue will be discussed at a future meeting.
In another matter, SB member Keith Silvia updated the board on the progress with the Atlas Tack building. At a previous meeting, Building Commissioner, Rick Forand, told the board he would send a letter to Atlas Tack about the security measures he was recommending.
Mr. Silvia said the attorney did respond to the letter. He said he did not want to say too much until they got everything back. He was just happy, he said, that they responded and said they would have someone take a look at it.
*Corrects error from previous versions. Clerk, not chairperson.
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