This week brought together the Springfield Police Department, Chelsea Police Department, and Roca, Inc. for an intensive three-day training program. The guest instructor was Dale McFee, Deputy Minister of Justice in Saskatchewan Province, Canada, accompanied by several colleagues. The training was designed for police department members, public officials, and representatives from community-based agencies to learn about the Hub + COR public safety model, an approach that has proven highly successful and innovative.
The Hub + COR model operates through a partnership combining data-driven analysis with social services and law enforcement resources. Through rapid interventions targeting at-risk individuals and families, the model has been replicated across Canada with notable results: substantial reductions in expensive criminal justice system involvement, significant crime decreases, and enhanced public safety in communities where it operates.
McFee developed this model during his tenure as both a Police Chief and Deputy Justice Minister, drawing on his experience addressing crime prevention in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan—a city historically burdened by elevated rates of crime, violence, drug abuse, and incarceration. His visit to Massachusetts was facilitated by three key figures: Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes, Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri, and Roca Founder & CEO Molly Baldwin, with all three having collaborated with McFee over the past year to adapt Hub + COR’s approach in the Commonwealth.
Between Monday evening, March 9, and Wednesday afternoon, March 11, the training sessions proceeded. On Tuesday, March 10, a special luncheon was organized at the Residence Inn Hotel for state executives, elected officials, and dignitaries representing both eastern and western Massachusetts regions. McFee delivered substantive remarks and provided a comprehensive overview of the Hub + COR model to those assembled.
On Tuesday, keynote speaker Dale McFee, deputy minister of justice in Saskatchewan Province, Canada, spoke to the large group about a model they have used throughout Canada to help reduce crime and help police be able to focus on true crime while directing others to the proper services.
During his presentation, McFee explained the scope of police work: Some 75 to 80 percent of call to police for service are not criminal in nature. A majority of that is for anti-social behavior. Some 25 percent of of them are real in nature. For us, some 5 percent of the 25 percent led to criminal charges. So, 5 percent of what we accomplish has the majority of our resources devoted to trying to solve crime…We can pull 30 to 40 percent of the call out of the queue by redirecting them…This is real. It’s really pulling things right out of the queue…Policing, in my mind, need to get out of the ownership business and into the leadership business. Leadership is about connecting the dots and especially when the resources exist in the community.
McFee also noted his observations from extensive travels throughout Canada and the United States: Boston, particularly Chelsea, has made the most significant progress in adopting this approach to combat crime among U.S. communities.