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Mayor Michael J. Sullivan has issued an executive order which was
presented to the City Council last Tuesday night regarding weapons
which will greatly affect Wilfredo Laboy’s bodyguard’s functions.
It has been known for a long time that Mark Rivera carries a gun
throughout the day and the administration finds it unacceptable.
Effective immediately, all employees of the City of Lawrence,
including Lawrence Public School Department employees, are
prohibited from possessing, carrying, or transporting, concealed
and unconcealed firearms, explosives or other weapons, even if
they have a lawful license. They may not be carried on the
premises of any city or school property unless the weapon is part
of a necessary function in the required performance of the
employee’s duties and required by the employee’s job description
and employment assignments such as the Police Department.
The mayor wrote in his letter that while the city is committed to
maintaining a safe and secure environment in order to conduct work
and educational activities, “this policy is a proactive step
toward reducing the risk of injury or death associated with
intentional or accidental use of weapons.”
Employees are prohibited from possessing, carrying, concealing or
transporting, in any manner, means or form, weapons on the
premises of city property. Any employee possessing a weapon shall
be immediately instructed to permanently remove the weapon from
city property and be subject to arrest and/or disciplinary action.
Personnel Director Frank Bonet had been working on this policy for
a long time along with Attorney Michael Sweeney, Director of the
Planning Department and the City Attorney Charles Boddy, until it
was ready to be presented to the City Council for implementation.
Questions regarding the applicability of this policy to specific
items or situations shall be directed to the Personnel Department.
Any employee violating this policy shall be subject to the
disciplinary policies and procedures applicable to employees of
the City of Lawrence or the Lawrence School Department.
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EDITORIAL
