Navigating a Difficult Relationship

March 26, 2026
• The town is working with its public safety department to codify how it will deal with an unpredictable federal department.

Earlier this year, members of the Needham Select Board sat down with Needham Police Chief John Schlittler to review the role the department plays in immigration enforcement. They found that, while training provides guidance and jurisdictional lines define the limits of their involvement, no central document defined how those boundaries could be navigated. They formed a committee to review and codify rules of how the NPD interacts with federal immigration authorities.

That committee — consisting of Schlittler, Town Manager Katie King, Select Board Vice Chair Cathy Dowd and Town Counsel Christopher Heep — reported back to the Select Board on March 24. In addition to creating a singular document addressing policy, they suggested additions to current practices, and created new ones where they deemed it necessary.

Municipal Producer Melissa Marchese has more.