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.