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On Friday, October 27th, the members of the New Bedford Police Union brought forth a vote of no confidence in Chief Paul Oliveira.
A “vote of no confidence” is a vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or management is still deemed fit to hold that position. Such as because they are inadequate in some aspect, fail to carry out their obligations, or make decisions that other members feel to be detrimental.
135 union members voted and the results of the “No confidence vote” were as followed:
• 121 (89%) voted “No Confidence”
• 12 (89%) voted that they did NOT support the vote of no confidence
• 1 ballot was blank
• 1 ballot marked both choices
The New Bedford Police Union release a statement following the results.
“We do not celebrate the results of this vote, nor do we celebrate the vote itself. The results, however stark, unfortunately represent the feelings of a clear majority of our membership and are indicative of serious problems with the appointed leader of the New Bedford Police Department.
This is not the first time those feelings have been expressed. There have been multiple surveys regarding the leadership of Chief Oliveira which were conducted for our members which have had similar negative results.
The surveys focused on communication, trust, transparency, morale, as well as one of the lowest scoring questions; whether the New Bedford Police Department is headed in a positive direction.
The negative impact of a leader who has lost the trust of their officers has consequences which echo throughout the agency. This vote is an expression of the immense stress, frustration, and dissatisfaction that the officers of the NBPD have with Chief Oliveira’s leadership.
We hope the city leaders and stakeholders take this information to heart. The members of the New Bedford Police Union remain committed to the safety of our community and the safety of our officers.”
