Tewksbury Select Board Demands State Reverse Hospital Security Tool Ban

TEWKSBURY -- April 14, 2026, Tewksbury Select Board reorganized leadership and unanimously demanded the state reverse a policy stripping Tewksbury State Hospital security officers of less-lethal tools. Eric Ryder was elected chair in a contested 3-2 vote, with Mark Kratman named vice chair by the same margin and John Lombardo elected clerk unanimously, over objections from Board Member James F. Mackey III that the outcome had been predetermined outside public view. The board voted 5-0 to send a demand letter to DPH Commissioner Goldstein, whose April 2 order removed pepper spray, expandable batons, and handcuffs from campus security personnel, and 5-0 to seek legal options from Town Counsel. Police Chief Ryan Columbus reported 478 assaults handled by campus police in 2025 and roughly 18 Tewksbury Police responses in just the 11 days since the policy change, compared to 26 responses in all of 2025. Fire Chief Joseph Kearns told the board he had already changed protocol so crews wait for Tewksbury Police before entering locked-down units, warning "I can't risk one of my members getting hurt." State Representative Dave Roberton called the policy "a slap in the face" to 18 months of collaborative safety improvements and urged the board to reject a two-week state review period.