The police chiefs from the three Western Massachusetts municipalities that sent officers to help in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico only to have them return home early are speaking out on the issue.
The chiefs from Holyoke, Easthampton, Hampden, and Chelsea have sent a letter to the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association indicating they won't send additional personnel for relief on the island and warning other police departments about an apparent communication issue with emergency management officials.
They say the early trip back home was prompted by a side visit to the southern city of Ponce which the officers spent helping people in need and checking on family members.
The Holyoke Police Department was supposed to have deployed five more officers by now.