Taunton Hotel housing migrants had 300 calls for police in 245 days, police details costing taxpayers $312k

Since housing migrants at the Clarion Hotel in Taunton in May of 2023, the city of Taunton received 300 calls for emergency services, going from receiving three calls per month before the contract to house migrants to more than one per day after housing migrants.

Data obtained by Fall River Reporter shows that 317 total calls for emergency service were made in 2023, 17 calls between January and May of 2023. But in May of last year, the hotel entered into a contract with the state to house migrants at their location. From that time until the end of December 2023, 300 calls for service were initiated from the hotel, averaging more than one a day.

Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell’s office provided Fall River Reporter with a breakdown of the calls for service, with reasons for calls ranging from building checks, and protective order violations as well as noise complaints and vandalism.

Records show that between May and December of 2023, there were 39 disturbance calls from the property, 25 medical calls, and 26 complaints. Some other notable calls included:

• One call for altered mental status
• One call for an unattended death
• Nine calls for domestic disturbances
• Four calls for larceny
• One call for missing person
• One call for an overdose

The hotel began using a Taunton Police Department detail on June 2nd, 2023 for round-the-clock oversight of the property. The 24/7 police detail is paid for by the hotel and is then reimbursed by the state.

The Mayor’s office shared that hotel management has recently suggested cutting down on details but the Mayor said the city strongly disagrees with the hotel, especially in light of the recent sexual assault at a hotel emergency shelter in Rockland.

According to invoices with the City Treasurer Christine Clymens, the City of Taunton has billed the hotel $312,941.00 for police details in 2023. The hotel has paid $312,941.00 to date and does not have an outstanding balance with the city.

Taunton Police Department’s public information officer Lt Glen Jackson said that having a police detail on site keeps scheduled officers in their sectors without having to respond to calls to the hotel.

“Especially considering the location of the hotel, almost on the Norton line, the detail is necessary.”

O’Connell stands firm that the influx of migrants has made significant impacts on the city of Taunton.

“We lost the only hotel available in our city (which is located in our Industrial Park) which has impacted business travel to our area. We have seen an increase in the number of emergency calls and we have had to accommodate an increased number of students in our schools. While we are not unsympathetic to migrants fleeing unstable conditions in other countries, we have limited resources available and many residents in need, including seniors and veterans, who require services and housing. We continue to call upon the federal government to provide assistance to our state and our city.”

Fall River Reporter was first to report the city has filed in Superior Court to sue hotel ownership for over $100k in fees for being over capacity and for not being in compliance with safety code regulations.