Local News

Hampden County Sheriff plans dozens of job cuts

“We are responding to the fiscal reality in front of us,” said Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi.

March 28, 2026 | 8:45 AM

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The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department will slash about 50 positions to save up to $4 million following major budget cuts, Sheriff Nick Cocchi announced at a press conference this week.

The layoffs come after roughly $26.5 million was removed from the department’s fiscal year 2026 budget, according to MassLive. Cocchi said the cuts are necessary to address broader statewide funding challenges, calling the decision “not easy, but necessary.”

“Let me be very clear. I do not believe this is the right move for public safety in Western Massachusetts, but more importantly, Hampden County,” Cocchi said. “But it is the reality we are facing, and we’re being asked to respond to it.”

The savings plan is multi-phased, with anticipated effects on police presence and response time in municipalities across the county. Patrols will be reduced in Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke, and Palmer. Three analyst roles will also be eliminated in Chicopee, and some specialized units — including dive, marine, and drone teams — will be scaled back.

Cocchi said staff were notified of the plan on Tuesday, with some changes taking effect immediately. The remaining cuts will roll out over the next few months.

“When people talk about layoffs … to them it’s a number, for me it’s a family member,” Cocchi told Western Mass News. “But unfortunately, with the fiscal crisis here in the Commonwealth and with the amount of attention being put on Sheriff’s budgets, it’s the right thing to do.”

The department says the budget challenges are not the result of overspending, but rather years of structural funding issues.

“As noted by the Office of the Inspector General, this situation stems from years of the Legislature’s deficit-driven funding practices dating back to the abolition of county government in 1999,” department spokesperson Robert Rizzuto told MassLive.