SHUTESBURY — Police Chief Kristin Burgess is taking a leave of absence from her position overseeing the department, according to an email sent by the Selectboard to residents Thursday night.

In the email, disseminated a few hours after the board was set to meet with Burgess in executive session for contract negotiations, the Selectboard explained that “Police Chief Burgess has taken a leave of absence at this time,” and that no additional information would be provided, due to the leave being a personnel matter.

On Thursday afternoon, the Selectboard had scheduled an emergency meeting at Town Hall to enter executive session “to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non-union personnel, police chief.” Another executive session on the same topic, scheduled for Friday afternoon, was canceled.

The email to residents also references a “situation” at Town Hall, 1 Cooleyville Road, on Wednesday that led to a response by Massachusetts State Police.

“A situation occurred at the Town Hall on Wednesday, May 14, that the Selectboard deemed would be most effectively managed by the Massachusetts State Police. The State Police were able to successfully mediate the situation. At no time was the health or safety of any one at Town Hall compromised.”

No additional details are provided about what happened, though Town Hall is the location of both municipal offices and the police station.

An email to Burgess was returned with an out-of-office message asking that all correspondence for police matters go to Sgt. Devon Pelletier.

Burgess joined the department in early 2020 after working part-time as a police officer in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, and as a Massachusetts Trial Court officer, primarily in Springfield. After her appointment, Burgess was elevated to acting police chief in spring 2021, following the resignation of Police Chief Dan Fernandes. Burgess then became permanent chief in 2022.

In addition to Burgess and Pelletier, the department has a full-time officer and three part-time officers.

During her tenure, Burgess has emphasized community policing, including the creation of a graffiti class for youth that she hoped would address problems with graffiti that took place in summer 2022; swearing in Charlie, the department’s first comfort dog, in 2024; and working with Lake Wyola residents on improving safety on the body of water for the past several months.

In May 2023, a resident filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Springfield naming Burgess and the town’s library director, contending his civil rights had been violated while examining the Leverett Road site where a new library is under construction.

The notice about the leave for Burgess is among the “email campaign archive” where residents are notified in that way about town matters and events, such as the Recreation Committee informing people about a bicycle tune-up at the elementary school Sunday morning and the Board of Health recently outlining the new hours for the public health nurse.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.