Lincoln Selectmen take two mutual aid pacts under advisement, request markups

LINCOLN — September 26, 2013 — Lincoln Selectmen defer two mutual aid pacts pending revised drafts and operating policies. Fire Chief Steve Carter presented a statewide MEMA agreement allowing one-call access to police, fire, public works, building inspectors and other resources during emergencies, with 10-day opt-out rights. Police Chief Kevin Mooney presented a Middlesex County Chiefs of Police compact, already signed by 32 of 54 communities, that would extend officers' arrest authority across town lines and address what Mooney called gaps in "liability and jurisdiction." Selectman Noah Eckhouse pressed the "self-activation" provision, saying he worried less about Lincoln officers elsewhere than about "other officers in our town." Chair Peter Braun asked for a side-by-side draft markup and sample policies. Separately, Eckhouse announced the Town Offices Building and Construction Committee, TABASCO, had completed its three-plus-year run, and rebutted a Lincoln Journal report on the building's Wi-Fi, saying commercial-grade equipment was rejected by Capcom last cycle and will be resubmitted.