NBPU-New Bedford Police Union

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NBPU-New Bedford Police Union

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Here to spread the news for the NBPU!

Our goal is to branch out to the community we love and serve, and to build a reletionship with all of the people of New Bedford for a safer city for all!

10/28/2026

Today is National First Responders Day. A huge thank you to all of the first responders nationwide who each and every day give their all to the people they serve.

A special thank you to the members of the NBPU-New Bedford Police Union, New Bedford EMS, and New Bedford Fire Department for all of the amazing work you do each and every day right here in our community. The City of New Bedford is lucky to have so many incredible people who give their all each and every single day.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank Our Lady of Purgatory Catholic Church - Maronite Rite for the absolutely delicious First Responders Lunch/Dinner. The food was amazing, and members of our Union leadership stopped by to enjoy a meal and thank all of the church members, as well as members of the New Bedford Police Honor Guard, and members of our Traffic Division and Criminal Investigative Division.

The love shown by our community is evident each and every day and we are blessed to have so many supporters. Thank you again to all First Responders and to the communities who support them.

10/28/2026

Sadly, we have now reached 850 days without a contract. 850 Days where the men and women of the New Bedford Police Union are still showing up each and every day, still responding to calls for service, still working on solving serious crimes, seizing fi****ms and drugs off of our city streets, and serving the community to the best of their ability.

Since August we have had over ten resignations from within the department, with more coming in the near future due to the lack of a contract. The officers who have resigned, and those who will be resigning in the future, are not just going to other departments because they are getting paid more, or responding to less calls for service, they are going because these other cities and towns VALUE what these officers will bring to their police departments. Due to the lack of settling a reasonable and fair contract, among other issues, some of our members are looking elsewhere at cities and towns that they realize will value what they bring.

And yes, we are aware that multiple people call on our behalf when the Mayor is on the radio advocating for settling a contract, and he makes reference to the fact that we turned down a 12% offer a couple of years ago. He is correct, the Union did turn an offer down, but the reason we turned the offer down is because the City was asking the Union to give up too many things for that contract, and for the good of our membership we did have to turn it down. We understand that negotiating can sometimes be a give and take, but we also realize that if there is too much giving, it puts us at a loss.

There have been numerous shifts where we have run short staffed, meaning fewer officers on the road responding to calls, and overloading the officers who are working with extra calls for service. This also means it may take longer for an officer to respond to your home or business. We still have a station that is closed to the public in the north end, meaning an entire section of the City cannot walk into the north end police station to file a report, speak with an officer directly, and instead have to ring a doorbell and wait for someone to be dispatched to the station.

We are still going to be showing up each and every day, providing the best service we can, and we will continue to do our best to serve the people of our City, but at some point we hope that the Mayor comes to the realization that he may not have much of a police department left if he cannot work on settling a fair and reasonable offer.

10/23/2026

For those who do not know, Mission 22 is an incredible organization, founded by Veterans, dedicated to supporting Veterans and their families. Their name comes from the estimated 22 Veterans who die by su***de each day, and their organization not only brings this tragic news to light but also offers various different resources and support for Veterans and their families to hopefully one day bring that number down to zero.

Come down and support an amazing organization while running alongside others who are there for support and to have a good time. Details for the 5K are on the flyer.

If you can't make the run, please consider donating. Every dollar donated goes towards programs and resources to end Veteran su***de.

10/14/2026

New Bedford Police Union Another Two Officers Leaving

The New Bedford Police Union thanks Officer Hector Rivera, with less than five years of service, and Officer Cole Terceira, with less than two years of service, for their dedication to New Bedford. Both officers will continue their law enforcement careers in surrounding communities, and we wish them continued success.

Their departures add to the department’s staffing challenges and place additional pressure on the officers who remain.

The Union has repeatedly raised concerns about compensation, staffing, and the department’s ability to retain officers. New Bedford invests taxpayer dollars in recruiting, hiring, and training personnel, only to lose that investment when officers leave for neighboring communities offering better opportunities.

Mayor Jon Mitchell, the continued lack of progress in resolving the Police Union’s expired contract raises serious questions about your administration’s leadership, priorities, and accountability. While contract negotiations remain unresolved, officers continue to leave New Bedford for surrounding departments offering better opportunities. The Union believes the failure to reach a competitive compensation agreement is a major factor contributing to this growing retention crisis.

Leadership requires more than acknowledging a problem. It requires taking responsibility, making difficult decisions, and delivering results. The Mayor must explain what meaningful steps his administration is taking to resolve the contract and stop the continued loss of officers.

To our City Councilors: Time is running out. Every departure places additional pressure on an already strained department and raises concerns about the future of public safety in New Bedford.

The citizens of New Bedford deserve better from City Hall. Our officers deserve competitive compensation, and our residents deserve a properly staffed police department.

Mayor Mitchell, how many more officers must New Bedford lose before your administration delivers a contract that makes retaining our officers a priority?

10/12/2026

The New Bedford Police Union is proud to endorse Jesse St. Gelais for State Representative for the 8th Bristol District! We look forward to all of the things that will be done once he is elected into office!

10/07/2026

***Shots Fired***

On the date of Tuesday, October 6, 2026, members of the Uniform Patrol Division and Detective Division responded to the area of 173 Penniman Street on report of shots fired. A ShotSpotter notification indicated four shots were fired in the area.

Upon arrival at that location, officers and detectives began searching the area and located four shell casings in the area of 128 Mt. Pleasant Street. A search of the area was conducted and no property damage or victims were located. The evidence was subsequently processed by detectives. The incident remains under investigation at this time.

For any inquiries of detailed information regarding this incident, or any other shootings occurring in the City of New Bedford involving victims and/or property damage, please contact the New Bedford Police Department.

If you have information regarding this incident, or any other incident, please contact the New Bedford Police Department at 508-991-6300 x79519, or submit an anonymous tip at 508-961-4584.

It is important to note that information received from members of our community could be vital in assisting us during the investigation of this incident.

09/28/2026

The New Bedford Police Union is once again announcing the departure of another experienced officer from the New Bedford Police Department.

Officer Andy Pereira, a veteran member of the New Bedford Police Union, will be leaving the department to continue his law enforcement career with the Fairhaven Police Department.

Officer Pereira’s departure is a significant loss for the citizens of New Bedford. His experience, knowledge, and years of service cannot simply be replaced by hiring a new officer.

At some point, the continued loss of experienced police officers demands accountability from City Hall.

Mayor Jon Mitchell has been the chief executive of this city throughout this ongoing retention problem. The Union believes his administration has failed to adequately address the conditions that continue to drive experienced officers to seek careers in surrounding communities. Every departure means New Bedford loses training, experience, institutional knowledge, and an officer who has already invested years serving this community.

Just this week, Mayor Mitchell publicly criticized ICE for failing to notify the New Bedford Police Department of its operations, stating that doing so was “putting at risk police officers who might arrive on scene.”

Mayor Mitchell, if placing New Bedford police officers at risk is truly a concern, then the Union believes it is time to address what is happening within your own administration.

Continuing to lose experienced officers while staffing levels decline creates its own public-safety concerns for the officers who remain and the citizens they are expected to protect. The Union has repeatedly raised concerns about staffing and retention, yet officers continue to leave.

It is easy to demand accountability from another government agency. Our members are asking when that same level of accountability will be applied here at home.

How many more experienced officers does New Bedford have to lose before retaining its police officers becomes a genuine priority?

Officer Pereira has served the citizens of New Bedford with dedication, and we thank him for his years of service. We wish Andy and his family nothing but success as he begins the next chapter of his law enforcement career with the Fairhaven Police Department.

The New Bedford Police Union will continue speaking publicly about the staffing and retention challenges facing this department and advocating for the officers who remain here serving the citizens of New Bedford.

09/25/2026

Last night, members of the New Bedford Police Union and the Dartmouth Police Department took part in a Tip-A-Cop event at the Texas Roadhouse. This was to raise money for the Massachusetts Special Olympics, which is a year-round organization that provides sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Seeing some of the athletes and their families there, enjoying meals and sharing smiles and laughter, was truly heartwarming and made the event even more special for all of us.

I want to thank the amazing staff at the Texas Roadhouse. The kindness shown while we were there, helping as best we could—and hopefully not getting in the way too much—was incredible. Watching them work through all of the chaos and a busy dinner shift gave me a profound appreciation and respect for the work they do.

To the men and women in blue who took time out of their own personal lives, time away from their families, to take part in this amazing event, thank you. Thank you for showing that community outreach, involvement, and support are an integral part of our profession, and thank you for the phenomenal efforts last night in making this event a success.

These types of events serve as reminders that being a part of a community means more than just serving; it means supporting both the people and organizations that make it special.

09/22/2026

THIS IS NOT AN ERROR OR A REPEAT. ANOTHER TWO OFFICERS ARE LEAVING THE NEW BEDFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT.

Officer Jessica Nicoli , a veteran officer who has been a tremendous asset to this department and community, will be resigning. Her experience and dedication will be a significant loss to the City of New Bedford.

Officer Patrick Slason , who graduated from the police academy on March 20, 2026, will resign effective October 1, 2026. After only six months of serving New Bedford, he will continue his career with another department.

The New Bedford Police Union sincerely thanks both officers for their service and wishes them nothing but success.

But once again, we have to ask City Hall and the Mayor: Why do officers continue to leave, and when will someone be held accountable?

Losing veteran officers is concerning. Losing officers only six months after graduating the academy should be a wake-up call.

Recruiting officers means nothing if the City cannot retain them. Every departure puts additional strain on the officers who remain and ultimately impacts the citizens we serve.

How many more officers have to walk out the door before City Hall takes this retention crisis seriously?

Our officers and the citizens of New Bedford deserve answers, action, and accountability.

09/19/2026

The NBPU wishes to extend our congratulations to the New Bedford Police Softball Team! Today they played in the annual softball tournament between Police and Fire and they came out on top! Congratulations to all who played today, and we look forward to continuing this ongoing tradition! (You can’t blame us if we are more impartial to one side over the other lol)

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New Bedford, MA

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https://newbedfordpoliceunion.org/

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