The only non–citizen petition warrant article to fail during Hudson’s March Town Election was the proposal to create a part-time prosecutor position for the Hudson Police Department. Despite support from both the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee, voters ultimately rejected the measure.
Police Chief David Cayot had previously explained that the request stemmed from a significant increase in police activity over the past year. During budget discussions, he told officials that the department has seen a steady rise in call volume and arrests.
“I showed you that our arrest numbers have gone up, and they are the highest they’ve been since we’ve come out of COVID,” Cayot said. With more arrests come more court dates, more paperwork, and more evidence processing, including body camera footage and, more recently, recordings from newly added in car cameras.
“There’s a lot of extra work that’s going into that,” he said, noting that the department’s legal division has not expanded in years despite the growing caseload.
Cayot also pointed to the end of the state’s “Felony First” system, which previously shifted felony level cases directly to the County Attorney’s Office. With that program discontinued, Hudson officers and legal staff must now handle probable cause hearings for felony charges before cases are transferred to the county.
He warned that the workload is reaching a point where the department fears it may struggle to ensure timely and thorough prosecution. “We’re getting to the point where our legal team is concerned they can’t get justice for all their cases because of the amount of workload at the station and at the court,” Cayot said.
The Board of Selectmen voted 4–1 to recommend the warrant article, and the Budget Committee supported it by a 7–3 vote.
During the Deliberative Session, Selectman Xen Vurgaropulos described the current system, noting that Hudson’s legal administrative staff already handles case preparation, court coordination, and courtroom representation. But, he said, “The case volume and complexity of the legal process have increased. These responsibilities have placed additional demands on the department and resources in staff time.”
He argued that adding a part-time prosecutor would provide needed legal expertise to review evidence, prepare cases, and ensure consistent court coverage.
Earlier in the budget process, there had also been discussion about converting an existing part-time position to full-time, but that proposal did not advance to the ballot.
