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The Mapping Project

Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC)

The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) describes itself as "a mutual aid consortium comprised of resources from the police departments of 30 cities and towns. A law enforcement council is a collaborative partnership of police agencies in a region that share knowledge, resources and personnel ... "

Like other "Law Enforcement Councils" (LECs) in Massachusetts, SEMLEC is a non-profit corporation set up as a professional membership organization, which serves to link police forces across the region in communications, joint training exercises, collective purchases and joint actions. LECs in Massachusetts have played a central role in militarizing police forces by organizing SWAT teams and purchasing military equipment such as Lenco Bearcats and other armored vehicles. LECs have tried to assert their status as private organizations to refuse public records requests about their activities. Both the Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) and the Greater Boston Police Council (GBPC) have explicitly linked the origin of LECs and their "mutual aid agreements" to the policing of anti-war protests in the 60s and 70s. NEMLEC also mentions the civil rights movement and uses coded racist language about the "disorder" arising "as people migrated from larger cities" as justification for their existence. (See separate entries on NEMLEC and GBPC)

An image from the SEMLEC website concerning its SWAT team shows a Lenco BearCat emblazoned with its name. Meeting minutes of the Southeast Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council (SRHSAC) show the SRHSAC using federal grant money for SEMLEC purchases of military equipment and training. (See separate entry on SRHSAC.)

SEMLEC has a public list of its member agencies. In 2020, its executive officers were the following: President, Chief Christopher D. Delmonte, Bridgewater Police Department; Secretary, Chief Robert A. Small, Rochester Police Department; Treasurer, Chief Carlton E. Abbott, Freetown Police Department.

29 Dexter Lane, Rochester, MA 02770 (Rochester Police Department)

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