Hired security could be the answer to restoring Somerville’s Central Library’s normal hours, which were cut this month to discourage dangerous teen behavior. The city measure was discussed at length during a City Council Public Health and Safety Committee meeting Monday.
The city plans to choose a private vendor whose security guards will be in the library during the hours teens are let out of the neighboring high school. Neha Singh, director of intergovernmental affairs for the mayor’s office, said the city is interviewing companies with crews trained in deescalating stressful situations.
“Our preference is for a vendor with experience serving youth and other populations who frequent the library,” Singh said. They would respond to issues cropping up that didn’t need police – but bring in police officers as needed.
First responders were called to Somerville public libraries 60 times since Sept. 1, 2023, or approximately once a week over the past year, said James Stanford, deputy chief of the city’s police force. Putting a permanent police presence at the library was tried but was unsuccessful, Singh told councilors Sept. 12.
The city decided to interview vendors after Somerville Public Schools officials found none of the district’s community engagement specialists were available to tend to the library beyond their contracted hours.
The Mayor’s Office has collaborated with the police department, emergency management director and other departments to shortlist vendors qualified for the job and sharing the city’s goals and priorities. Interviews are expected to conclude in a few days. “As soon as we select a vendor, the next step would be to make sure that the relevant city departments, like the police department, SPS and, of course, library staff are able to meet with the vendor,” Singh said.
The city is “looking in terms of days and not months,” Singh told the committee.
Other answers
Under council questioning, Singh referred to the private security as “short-term steps” to the goal of reopening. Asked by councilor Jesse Clingan whether libraries beyond the Central Hill location might get security, she said “’staff will continue to meet and discuss ongoing, medium- and long-term solutions that address challenges flagged by our library staff.”
The city has installed security cameras compatible with the city’s systems, “hoping that that would be a deterrent for the behavior that we’ve encountered,” said Cathy Piantigini, director of libraries. The hiring of a social worker – originally expected to be hired last year – is also underway, though the person in that role will serve various communities, not just teens. Piantigini said all resources are welcome to reopen the library as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
“I’m going to be hopeful that we are going to find a security guard that will be the unicorn that we need,” Piantigini said.
Skeptical of solution
Councilor Matthew McLaughlin said he remained baffled as to what assets private security could bring to the problem. “I don’t think there’s too many private security groups out there that have more training and experience than a police officer. Maybe they’re more available, but they’re not here right now. And if it’s an optics issue, then I would just point out that there’s a very sore history of private security in America as well,” McLaughlin said. “You can google ’Pinkerton.’”
First-term councilor Naima Sait, a teacher, asked if the security guards would be able to form productive relationships with teens at the library, including those who might be prone to challenging authority.
The meeting ended with councilors not wholly convinced. Judy Pineda Neufeld asked what the city’s plan was if its combined solutions failed, and how the city would prevent a situation in which parents were again left scrambling to figure out where to send their kids. Singh assured Neufeld the city plans to communicate changes in advance and has started the internal conversations to ensure the Central Library’s surprise closing never happens again.
McLaughlin compared his Somerville childhood experiences to the city’s current obstacles. The situations may not be new, but the city’s responses are, he said.
“Closing the library was the worst possible option of all options, because it’s punishing the entire community when we could have addressed this in a more expedient fashion,” McLaughlin said.
A stronger
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