The State of Public Safety in Cohasset

Public safety in Cohasset is at a crossroads. The Police and Fire Departments, along with the Town’s technology and emergency management functions, continue to provide exceptional service, but they are doing so within facilities built for a very different era. The current Elm Street station, constructed in 1962, was designed for nine male police officers and a smaller fire service. More than 60 years later, Cohasset’s population has doubled, and the demands on first responders have grown exponentially.

Today, the Police Department includes 27 sworn officers and 10 civilian staff, while the Fire Department has 26 firefighters and paramedics responding to an ever-increasing range of calls. The Elm Street facility is undersized, outdated, and non-compliant with modern standards. It lacks adequate holding cells, evidence storage, locker rooms, and ADA accessibility for police, while the fire station is without proper gear decontamination areas, code-compliant storage, and modern alerting systems. These limitations directly impact emergency response. For example, train crossings currently add up to four minutes of delay for calls to Beechwood, North Cohasset, and all schools west of the tracks.

Public safety today also goes beyond fire and policing — it includes cybersecurity, data continuity, and coordinated emergency response. The Town’s IT systems and emergency management needs cannot be met in existing facilities. By establishing a new Public Safety Building at 135 King Street, Cohasset will consolidate police, fire, technology, and emergency operations into a modern, right-sized facility. This investment ensures faster response times, secure technology infrastructure, and safe, code-compliant working conditions for first responders. Most importantly, it positions Cohasset to protect residents today, and for decades to come.