Chief's Message

I am pleased to present the annual report for the Millis Police Department. It is my privilege to work with an outstanding team of dedicated professionals. The mission of the Millis Police Department is to consistently find ways to promote, preserve, and deliver a sense of security, safety, and quality of life to the residents of Millis. To fulfill our mission, we are committed to:

Acknowledge our responsibility to the citizens of Millis, our source of authority.
Performing our duties within the spirit and the letter of our laws and constitution.
Remaining sensitive to human needs and treating each person with respect, compassion, and dignity.
Approaching each situation as unique and responding creatively with empathy and prudent discretion.
Promoting mutual trust between the Department and the citizens and businesses of Millis.
Enhancing safety and a feeling of security for our residents, fostering a quality work environment that encourages open communications and affords trust, respect, and support for each member.

This past couple of years proved to be a challenging year not only for the Millis Police Department but across all Town departments and residents of Millis. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact daily operations; our officers and civilian employees demonstrated professionalism and willingness to face all challenges by adapting to the changing environment daily. While the fear of contracting the Coronavirus and possibly bringing it home to their loved ones continued to weigh heavily on everyone’s mind, the members of the Millis Police Department reported to work every day. They continued to provide an exceptional level of service to our community. While the COVID-19 pandemic halted many in-person activities designed to build relationships with the community, our officers could adapt to an online platform so that remote check-ins could be conducted. Restrictions have been lifted, and we look forward to offering a wide variety of programs to the community again. Thank you to all our dedicated employees for your dedication during these unique and challenging times.

The Millis Police Department is a proactive department that takes pride in working with the community to address issues that help improve the quality of life. This past year we had to cancel all events that engage the community, National Night Out, “Coffee with a Cop,” Millis Police Public Forum, Rape Aggression Defense, Crime Prevention, and the Millis Police Leadership Academy. We look forward to resuming these effective programs for the residents of Millis this year. We are currently working on the curriculum for a Citizen’s Police Academy that we will offer this fall.

Policing is on the verge of significant change as a profession. We are constantly looking at how we can better prepare and train our officers. We have been actively reviewing our policies and procedures as part of our accreditation process in an effort to provide the Millis community with the best services possible. We are actively working with our community to build and strengthen the relationships that will ensure we are a reflection of this community.

While we all appreciate Millis's relative safety, the reality of the world today brings with it societal challenges that need to be faced. We must be prepared to respond to those challenges in a manner that respects and ensures the rights of our free society while protecting us from those who would harm us.

Respectfully,

Christopher J. Soffayer

Chief of Police

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