AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A SEASONAL POLICE FORCE IN THE TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary, the town of West Springfield is hereby authorized to employ a force of not more than 150 police officers for any period not to exceed three months. The town shall not employ such an officer for more than two such periods during any one year period. The position in which any such officer is employed on either a full-time or less than full-time basis shall be a seasonal position as defined under section 1 of chapter 31 of the General Laws.
No member of the seasonal force shall be called into service as a police officer while there are members of the regular or the reserve or intermittent police force of the town available for service.
Members of the seasonal force shall have the same power to make arrests and perform other police functions as intermittent police officers and shall be subject to the same training requirements as such intermittent officers.
Any member of the seasonal force when called into service shall not be compensated for service except as determined by the board of selectmen but such members shall be compensated for medical treatment for injury incurred in the line of duty.
Any member of the seasonal force may be removed by the selectmen at any time for any reason and members of the force shall wear uniforms, carry insignia and equipment and be subject to rules and regulations as the selectmen may from time to time prescribe.
The members of the seasonal force shall be available for service in other places as provided by section 99 of chapter 41 of the General Laws.
The selectmen of the town may forthwith appoint not more than 150 officers to the seasonal force and may thereafter fill such vacancies as may from time to time occur. Preference shall be given to residents of the town, if qualified, as determined by the selectmen.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage.