Beverly Council Renews Arts District, Holds Police Chief's Human Rights Appointment

BEVERLY — April 20, 2021 — Beverly City Council unanimously renewed the city's Beverly Arts District cultural designation and held a police chief's human rights board reappointment amid concerns over a domestic violence tweet. Planning Director Darlene Wynn told the council the Massachusetts Cultural Council renewal application deadline had shifted from April 30 to August 2021, and said she is updating the partnership agreement among the city, Montserrat College of Art, and Beverly Main Streets; the district's MCC community development grant grew to $7,500 this cycle from a typical $5,000. Police Chief John LeLacheur briefed the council on a 29-page revised use-of-force policy aligned with the state police reform law, saying the changes "don't change anything we do" but formalize de-escalation and duty-to-intervene requirements already in practice. The council voted to hold LeLacheur's reappointment to the Human Rights Committee after Councilor Kathleen Feldman Ames cited a news report about a tweet he posted on domestic violence protections, with the matter continued to the May 3 meeting. The council also approved a $19,986 firefighter equipment grant and a $72,000 MassDOT airport cold storage grant requiring an $18,000 local match and a public hearing set for May 3.