Sheriff’s Office Layoffs: A “Tough Hit” for Local Departments

ROCHESTER MA — When the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office announced 33 layoffs back in March, the news sent a wave of concern through smaller municipalities across the region. While the cuts were positioned as a necessary step to balance an increasingly strained budget, the “ripple effects” are now being felt on the ground in towns like Rochester.

The bulk of the layoffs targeted the department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)—a unit that local police chiefs have long relied on for critical support. For years, the BCI provided essential forensic assistance, including crime scene documentation, fingerprint analysis, and investigative support for unattended deaths.

According to Plymouth County officials, the decision to cut the 33 positions was forced by an “insufficient budget,” aiming to save roughly $3 million annually. While the department maintains that it will continue to operate, the reality is that the BCI is working with a significantly leaner staff.

For towns that lack their own specialized forensic teams, this means a loss of direct support. Rochester Police Chief Michael Assad didn’t mince words when reflecting on the impact: “When a lot of the small towns heard about that, that was a tough hit.”

Chief Assad points out that while the State Police are still an option, they simply don’t have the bandwidth to respond to every call the BCI once handled. With Rochester’s population rising and the busy summer season just beginning, the Chief is bracing for potential increases in response times. “It’ll probably take a good year for us to see how much it’s affected local agencies,” he noted.

In a move that shows proactive community leadership, the Rochester Police Department has managed to turn a difficult situation into a boost for their local forensic capabilities.

When the layoffs hit, Chief Assad moved quickly to hire two former BCI investigators—Paul Douglas and Christopher Coyman. Both were sworn in as Rochester patrol officers this past March. Their arrival brings high-level forensic expertise directly into the town’s own ranks.

“They come highly trained, highly certified,” Chief Assad said. “They’re going to now be able to provide that service that we were calling [the BCI] for, directly.”

The layoffs in Plymouth County are part of a larger, state-wide struggle over fiscal oversight. A recent report by the Massachusetts Inspector General described the budgeting process for the state’s 14 sheriff’s offices as “opaque, chaotic, and deeply flawed.”

With a cumulative deficit across the state’s sheriff’s offices topping $100 million last year, Beacon Hill lawmakers have begun a major push to overhaul how these departments are funded. The result is a “spending showdown” that has forced departments across Massachusetts—from Plymouth to Hampden County—to make difficult decisions about their operations and personnel.

As the summer heats up, Rochester officials say they are doing their best to stay ahead of the curve, but the loss of regional support services remains a significant hurdle for small-town policing in the county.