Pubdate: Sun, 07 Aug 2005
Source: Sentinel And Enterprise, The (MA)
Copyright: 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Mid-States Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://sentinelandenterprise.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2498

MOVE DRUG CENTER OUT OF CLEGHORN

The decision by the state Office of Community Corrections to force 
Worcester County Sheriff Guy W. Glodis to remove correctional officers from 
the Community Corrections Center in Cleghorn has rightly angered a lot of 
city officials and residents.

Stephen V. Price, executive director of the OCC in Boston, told the 
Sentinel & Enterprise correctional officers are not necessary for the 
drug-testing and counseling facility.

"The center is primarily for substance-abuse treatment and education, where 
teachers teach in a classroom setting," Price said. "Offenders that are 
seen there and use the services all live in the Fitchburg area, either on 
probation, parole or in home confinement. There is no need for heavy 
security, because they don't have heavy security anywhere else."

It appears Glodis is right when he says his office had no control over the 
decision to pull the correctional officers out of the center.

But he was at fault for not informing city officials, who are worried that 
the lack of a uniformed presence in the center will lead to more crime.

They are also rightly upset that Fitchburg continues to be forced to host 
drug-treatment centers without any voice in the decision.

"If the sheriff is going to take the correctional officers out, then he 
should take the building and the rest of the bums with him," City Councilor 
at large Ralph R. Romano III said Monday.

The facility expanded in Fitchburg roughly five years ago under former 
Sheriff John "Mike" Flynn, Romano said.

We agree.

If you have to have these kinds of centers in the city, they shouldn't be 
in neighborhoods or in the downtown, they should be in isolated sections of 
Fitchburg, away from homes and families.

What's also troubling is that Romano and City Councilor Matthew C. Straight 
proposed a resolution in 2000, urging Flynn not to expand the center to 
include drug testing for people on parole or probation.

The City Council narrowly defeated the resolution with a 6-5 vote, in 
effect supporting Flynn's proposal to expand the center, located on 
Fairmount Place.

Mayor Dan H. Mylott, who has strongly opposed the removal of correctional 
officers from the center, voted down the resolution in 2000 when he was 
City Council president.

"At the time, (Mylott) voted against it because he felt that the presence 
of uniformed sheriff officers at the facility gave great value to the 
facility, the neighborhood and the city," said Robert Pontbriand, Mylott's 
assistant.

That was a reasonable decision then. Unfortunately, it's backfired on the 
city now.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth