ASHFIELD — After months of being unable to hire a new officer, the Ashfield Police Department may begin looking at regionalization.

The town has been looking to hire a full-time officer since July when William Bissell, a part-time officer, resigned to take a full-time position in another town, leaving the department with just two members, including Chief Beth Bezio.

During discussions with the Selectboard over the past few months, Bezio has said that with a limited budget, it is difficult for the department to attract experienced officers, which is why she has focused on recruiting people to send to the police academy for training. While Bezio mentioned the town had one promising applicant, the candidate was not accepted to the police academy due to an injury.

So, what’s next for the Police Department? Bezio said she plans to take a break from hiring and examine the needs of the department. In a couple months, she hopes to return to the Selectboard with a new plan. In the meantime, Bezio said she will increase the hours for the department’s office assistance, which will allow her to spend less time in the office doing paperwork and more time policing.

“I just want to get the department recalibrated and running, and not have to worry about the academy or hiring,” Bezio said. “I was hoping I’d end out the year and in the beginning of the new year come back with a plan.”

When asked by the Selectboard if the town needs to find extra funding to increase the salary being offered so the position is more attractive to applicants, Bezio said it would be best to pause hiring efforts for now and take a look at what the department may need to look like in the future.

At Annual Town Meeting in May, Ashfield voters approved a total fiscal year 2025 budget of $197,194 for the Police Department. Of that, $75,648 is set for employee wages and another $89,889 is for Bezio’s salary. According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a full-time police officer in Massachusetts in 2024 is $64,605. Ashfield was offering a salary ranging from $55,000 to $60,000 based on experience.

With departments across the region struggling with staffing shortages and finding qualified candidates, Bezio said it may be time to look at regionalization. Ashfield and its surrounding towns have already been working together, she said, but in the near future, they should discuss formalizing shared support.

“Right now between a couple other towns we’ve been utilizing shared resources and helping each other out, so it’s not like we’re not already being there for each other,” she said. “We’re trying to manage the situation we’re all in. Ashfield’s not alone.”

At this point, Bezio said she is not sure what a regional police department would look like, but in the coming months, she hopes to develop a stronger vision for regionalization that maintains community programs while providing financial stability.

“I think it’s the way of the future because this is what we have to do to survive,” she said. “I don’t see any other way.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.