Chief's Welcoming Statement

As the chief of police, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Salem Police Department – I hope you find the information on our website both useful and informative.  Our Facebook page is frequently updated to include real-time public safety announcements and information of interest to our residents, visitors, and business community.
   
Since May of 2021 I have had the honor and privilege of serving the Salem community and leading the officers and staff of the finest police department in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Working collaboratively with the mayor, City Council, residents, and business owners we have identified issues of concern and developed strategies to address them.  We have brought our personnel complement up to city-ordinance-mandated levels, equipped our officers with body worn cameras, enhanced our knowledge base by including diversity, equity and inclusion training specifically tailored to meet duties and expectations of police officers, increased our staff of mental health clinicians who respond to calls with our officers, addressed shortfalls in our vehicle fleet, sought out grant opportunities to improve our antiquated radio system and strengthened our community engagement initiatives.    
 
The men and women of the Salem Police Department are service-oriented; dedicated to serve and protect and are committed to providing the highest level of police services to our residents, visitors, and business community.  We take great pride in the collaborative relationships that we have built with the Salem community and encourage open communication in addressing concerns, solving problems and crimes, but most importantly, increasing the quality of life in our community.  A solid community partnership is the most effective way of making our community safer for all of us, and the cooperative working relationship between our department and the people we serve is the strongest it has ever been.

I remain committed to strengthening community ties, committed to transparency in policing, and committed to holding ourselves accountable.  These are the bedrock principles of modern-day policing that will continue to guide me as I lead the dedicated officers and staff of the Salem Police Department.

Lucas J. Miller
Chief of Police
May 2023