Dartmouth police end Flock camera contract; board OKs five police job offers

Select Board · Meeting of August 31, 2026

Dartmouth police are ending the town's Flock camera contract, and the Select Board advanced five police hires. Town Administrator Cody Haddad said Police Chief Brian Levesque decided against renewing the roughly $20,000-a-year contract after "some privacy concerns" from residents; the five cameras go dark when the deal lapses at the end of September. The board also approved conditional job offers to five candidates, including two lateral transfers from the New Bedford Police Department, as Dartmouth works to close an eight-officer shortage.

Members unanimously approved three public hearings, including an Eversource Energy conduit project along Gidley Town Road and Fisher Road, "with conditions" after community pushback. A clean fiscal 2025 audit showed Dartmouth remains "the only town in Bristol County that has a triple-A bond rating," with a near-98 percent tax collection rate. The board also filled a Board of Public Works vacancy with James Ricci and made permanent expanded town hall hours piloted over the summer.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of August 31, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Correction (Nov. 4, 2026): An earlier version of this story said the Select Board voted to end the town's Flock camera contract and approved job offers to six police candidates. The board took no vote on Flock: the police department decided not to renew the contract and reported that decision to the board. The board extended conditional offers to five candidates after voting to bypass a sixth.