For most people, there's grass almost ready to cut, sunshine to savor. It takes longer to cross the bridges on weekends. If the change of seasons affects the lives of every Barnstable resident and it does consider its impact on the police department. When he came here nearly three years ago with a mission to break barriers and build bonds between the department and the community, Police Chief John J. Finnegan soon learned that the Town of Barnstable has two unusual characteristics when it comes to policing. Chief Finnegan is a believer.
People identify with their village.
In the smaller villages here, the police are apt to be involved in quality of life issues. For example, the two year-old traffic division works with local civic associations in analyzing problems and stopping speeders in residential areas. On the other hand, Hyannis is the hub, not only for the town but for the entire Cape. If there's a crack house or drug deals going down, that's generally a police problem in Hyannis. This is the city, and its kind of police work is more like Worcester's than Cotuit's.