Public Safety Dispatchers Allege Retaliation By Police Chief In Grievance Over Third-Party Details

"We will not be silenced," Patrick Considine told the Select Board Wednesday night.

Considine, a dispatch supervisor in the town's public safety communications headquarters, spoke out during the board's public comment period and delivered a series of allegations against Nantucket Police Department Chief Jody Kasper, Town Manager Libby Gibson, and the members of the Select Board. Considine claimed he and other town of Nantucket dispatchers had been wrongfully suspended, faced retaliation and discrimination, as well as unlawful surveillance, and that one had even been evicted from their town-owned housing unit.

"I stand here today on paid suspension as the assistant supervisor in the 911 communications department," Considine said. "Recently, myself and several other dispatchers have been the targets of a retaliatory, discriminatory ambush by police chief Jody Kasper for filing multiple grievances against her. Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence brought forth to this very Select Board and town manager Gibson, Kasper remains in charge."

The explosive comments resulted from a simmering dispute over whether Nantucket dispatchers can work paid third-party details - such as directing traffic around road construction areas - which historically have gone to police officers and the department's Community Service Officers (CSOs). The dispatchers, who are covered under the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Nantucket Public Employees' Local Union 1060, believe their most recent contract with the town, which was ratified three years ago, entitles them to work third-party details, but they have so far been precluded from earning additional income through those assignments. 

A clause in the contract reads "Employees of the Police Department are eligible to enroll in third-party detail training and sign up for third-party detail assignments. Employees will be limited to third-party detail work that is not conducted by the Town of Nantucket and will be compensated pursuant to the fee structure paid by the third-party to the Town of Nantucket. Third-party detail work may not be performed during regularly scheduled hours of work and accrued leave may not be utilized to perform such detail work."

In his remarks to the Select Board on Wednesday, Considine stated that "It should be noted that when we filed our initial grievance against Kasper for her blatant breach of contract and creating a mock third-party detail training to further the cover-up, there are three steps one must follow. Steps one and two were denied by Kasper and Gibson. Now step three goes in front of the Select Board. These very five elected officials had a duty to intervene as our highest governing body, but they refused and denied the grievance. Not only did the board refuse the grievance, but they participated in the retaliation."

Police Chief Jody Kasper did not respond directly to a message seeking comment on Wednesday, but the town's communications department released a statement from her on Thursday.

“While I would like to share more information, I am not able to do so at this time," Kasper stated. "More broadly, as Chief of Police, I have a responsibility to address concerning behavior within our work environment. I hold myself and members of this department to the high standards that our community expects and deserves. When those standards are not met, it is my duty to ensure that the matter is addressed appropriately. I remain committed to maintaining a department grounded in professionalism, integrity and service.”

Select Board chair Dawn Hill declined to comment on Considine's allegations.

"Please direct inquiry to town administration on this, as it is an employee issue," Hill said.

Before Wednesday's meeting, Considine had delivered a formal complaint to Hill demanding that Kasper be placed on immediate administrative suspension pending an independent investigation conducted by an outside private investigator, and that the issue be placed on a public Select Board agenda for discussion. He stated that following the filing of the grievance over the third-party detail work, he faced an illegal suspension, threats, verbal assaults, and public humiliation. The allegations include the claim that the police department installed a new surveillance camera to monitor the dispatch area and its staff.