Politics & Government

Mansfield Now Covered Against Liability at Comcast Center

Mansfield now will avoid lawsuits at the Comcast Center concerning out of town police coverage.

Mansfield town manager William Ross said that he was given a quote last week from a municipal insurance company to cover the town from liability concerning non-town employees(such as out of town police officers at the Comcast Center).

“I’m debating on whether to place it now or wait until spring,” Ross said.

Ross added that the quote from the insurance company was about $500 a show or $15,000 a year.

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The license came into some discussion with out of town police officers helping to cover the venue during concerts. The issue stems from an incident and incurring lawsuit when a reserve officer was injured while on detail at the venue.

The problem in the suit was that the town and the police department were completely liable for his disability payments (despite being from another town) after a lengthy lawsuit that was resolved last year. The liability stemmed from a Massachusetts statute that required fire and police personnel to receive disability and allowed such personnel to sue the town, as what happened with the 2004 lawsuit.

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“[The policy quote] appears to fit everything we needed down there,” Ross said.

The insurance will now cover the town from this liability. Further more, the Comcast Center/Live Nation company will be paying the insurance premiums as a part of their police services charge.

The policy was originally asked for in May 2012 by selectmen. Ross said that the insurance company had never dealt with anything like the issue Mansfield had back in 2004, and had to compile new information.

“They really struggled trying to make this coverage and that’s what took so long,” Ross said.


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