Gary’s Work onPublic Safety
Malden Police Body-Worn Camera Program
Malden Police Officers are now wearing and utilizing body-worn cameras. The cameras record interactions between police officers and residents during dispatched calls for service as well as during officer-initiated events such as traffic stops, field encounters, and during the service of court orders. Footage recorded by officers will be retained in a cloud-based storage system on a specified retention schedule. All requests for copies of body-worn camera footage will be subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law.
New Fire Station
Mayor Christenson is focused on ensuring fire satefy and appropriate emergency response times in Malden. A feasibility study was commissioned for the potential building of an additional fire station.
Mayor Christenson with Malden Overcoming Addiction Board Member PJ BellOpioid Task Force
Mayor Christenson announced the creation of an Opioid Task Force to tackle the ongoing opioid epidemic in April of 2021. With the collaborative work of the Malden Police, Fire, elected local officials, and non-profit leaders, the Task Force has been able to enact programs, supports, and policies that have helped to significantly decrease the number of overdoses in Malden two years in a row. From 2020 to 2021, overdoses decreased by 35%; and from 2021 to 2022, overdoses were down another 20% in the first six months of 2023.