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History
The North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) began in 1963, when a group of progressive police chiefs in Middlesex County began meeting informally to share information and brainstorm about common problems. These police chiefs from Burlington, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Wilmington, Winchester, and Woburn came together during the turbulent social and political struggles in the 1960’s, when police departments were experiencing an increase in crime.
The changing social climate brought new challenges to policing and chiefs were seeking support, advice and knowledge that would assist them in their efforts to address rising public safety concerns. The disorder associated with “suburban sprawl” as people migrated from larger cities, the development of the interstate highway system, the Civil Rights Movement and the growing resistance to the Vietnam War threatened to overwhelm the serenity of the quaint, idyllic New England towns North and West of Boston. Police chiefs gathered to share intelligence about crime patterns and trends, to discuss social policies and develop effective prevention and response programs.
The NEMLEC police chiefs formally incorporated as a non-profit organization on July 3, 1969. By this time, the total number of member communities had increased to twenty-two. Today, NEMLEC consists of forty-seven (47) police and two sheriff’s departments in Middlesex County and Essex County.
NEMLEC Founding Agencies
© 2007. NEMLEC - All rights reserved.
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