Harwich Charter Commission Drops "Absolute" from Police Chief Authority Language

HARWICH -- May 7, 2026, Harwich Charter Commission softens police chief authority language in brief post-town-meeting session. Meeting on May 7, the commission reached consensus to remove the word "absolute" from a draft charter provision describing the police chief's authority, after members raised concerns that the phrase "full and absolute authority", drawn directly from Massachusetts General Law Chapter 48, Section 42, could alarm residents even though it mirrors the statute governing fire chiefs. "Everything we can do to not alarm people is a fuss," one member said, with others agreeing that "authority" alone preserves the intent. The commission also voted unanimously to approve minutes from its April 30 session and deferred a planned compliance discussion to a future meeting, with the town administrator expected next week to brief the group on capital outlay timing ahead of town meeting.