How have other communities handled gun shop locations?
For example, in Dedham there must be a 150-foot buffer from residential districts, schools, houses of worship, and many other locations.
However, in Bloomington, Minn., firearm businesses must be 250 feet away from schools; in Contra Costa, Calif., they must be 500 feet from schools; and in Worcester, shooting ranges must be 1,000 feet from schools, to name a few.
Most neighboring communities have no zoning in place for firearm businesses, including Boston, Waltham, Watertown, Needham, and Wellesley, among others.
Many councilors said there must be equity in determining where firearms dealers could be located, and were concerned that only certain neighborhoods would be zoned for them.
Wicked Local
Job dissatisfaction and frustration with local leadership topped police survey results revealed during the Newton Police Reform Task Force’s recent presentation to the City Council.
Before delving into recommendations for the future of the department, the task force and consulting firm Strategy Matters went over feedback from the survey, which was given to sworn and civilian employees.
Of the entire force (as of June 2020 there were 141 uniformed officers) and civilian employees, 44 responded to the survey. Of the 44, 26 identified themselves as officers and 10 as civilian staff (the rest had other departmental positions).
A majority (43.9 percent) said they were “dissatisfied” with the department as a place to work. Some reasons included a “Lack of support from the mayor, city council and community,” the facilities, and “Lack of confidence in NPD leadership and management.” These factors have undermined morale, according to the report.