Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission Meeting Summary - April 15, 2026

The Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission held a regular meeting on April 15, 2026. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, public comment, reports from both the police and fire departments, and a closed session for personnel actions. Key decisions were made to authorize a captain selection process and to promote a firefighter to lieutenant.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the March 18, 2026 meeting were approved. One commissioner noted they were absent for the meeting, but the motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brian (concerned citizen): Spoke for the third time at a commission meeting. He raised complaints about the Fitchburg Police Department, stating that Detective Matt Leah and Emily Schunk had not responded to his inquiries. He referenced a "bomb testimony" in court and claimed the department has intimidated him. He said he recorded interactions but no action was taken. He expressed frustration with the system and said he is willing to go to prison for his cause. He thanked Sarah (likely a city official) for her recent response. He urged the public to become aware of the issues and said he is on Twitter as "Captain Caveman". He spoke for an extended period but was permitted to finish.

Discussion Items

• Police Department Report (by Police Chief): The chief reported 6 open positions (1 captain, 1 sergeant to be filled in August, and 4 police officers). Nine positions are unfilled due to two leaves and one academy attendee. The department recently conducted two hiring processes. Call-for-service data is affected by the loss of local dispatch; officer-initiated calls dropped but will be corrected. Activity: one homicide outside City Hall (suspect targeted the department but killed a pedestrian), one burglary, four thefts of autos, and consistent gun-related crime. The chief highlighted increases in theft from auto and aggravated assaults but said they are monitoring. Traffic crashes decreased for the first time in five years due to education, engineering, and enforcement. Traffic stops and monitoring are down due to staffing shortages and special assignments. Commisioners asked about data validity and expected offsets from increased staffing.
• Fire Department Report (by Chief Gina): Career staffing is full, but three paid-on-call members and one intern received full-time offers elsewhere, reducing the part-time workforce. Overtime is high due to one FMLA and one injured career member, with many mandates for skilled positions (driver, lieutenant). Training hours increased due to access to an acquired building (former pancake café/pizza joint) for destructive training. Call volume is average. Commisioners asked about staffing imbalances between stations; Chief explained daily moves and turnover issues. The department plans strategies discussed in closed session.

Key Outcomes

• The commission voted to authorize the police chief to start a selection process for the position of captain (moved, seconded, passed unanimously).
• The commission voted to promote firefighter Alex Wickman to lieutenant (moved, seconded, passed unanimously).
• The commission moved into closed session to discuss personnel matters including additional police officer offers, a captain hiring process, fire department retirement and hires from eligibility lists. The above actions were taken upon returning to open session.
• No announcements or additional decisions were made; the meeting was adjourned.