Police/Fire

Police Log: Irate Motorist Arrested, Checks Go Missing from Mail & Cashed Elsewhere

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
April 9, 12:46 a.m.: A motorist reported seeing a black SUV strike a pole on a traffic island on North Beacon Street at Arsenal Street, and drive away. Police were able to track the vehicle down on Lexington Street and Main Street, and it had smoke coming from underneath the hood, heavy damage to the front, and a shattered windshield. The officer observed the vehicle traveling slowly and swerving. Police stopped the vehicle, and noticed the driver had signs of intoxication.

Around Town

Still Time to Register for the Watertown Police Finish Strong 5K Run/Walk

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There’s still time to sign up for the the Watertown Police will host a 5k run and walk happening this weekend. 

Click here to register online. Organizers sent out the following information:

The Watertown Police Finish Strong 5k Run/Walk begins at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 29, 2018 starting and finishing at Tufts Health Plan 705 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. Mission: The Watertown Police Relief Association, Watertown Supervisors Association and Watertown Patrol officers Association will commemorate the 5th anniversary of the events that led to the capture of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects by inviting the community to fill the streets of Watertown in a 5K celebratory road race and walk.Proceeds to benefit the WPRA, WPSA and the WPA. Proceeds from this event will benefit the WPSA, local charity & victim funds, One Fund, Watertown Police Foundation and the new foundation to support youth community programming and school safety initiatives

Course: The course is fast and fairly flat 3.1 miles (5k). Prizes to top male/female finishers plus various age categories.

Boston Marathon Bombing

In Aftermath of Watertown Shootout, Police Created Group to Help Officers Deal with on the Job Stress

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Thursday, April 19, 2018, marked the fifth anniversary of the day that Watertown Police faced the Boston Marathon Bombers in a shootout on the streets of East Watertown, but at the Watertown Police Station there was little fanfare to mark the day. 

“It’s another day at work, here,” said Police Chief Michael Lawn, who added that officers were treated to breakfast by H & K Insurance. The department’s roster of uniformed personnel in 2018 includes all the officers involved in the shootout five years ago, Lawn said, despite the fact that they faced suspects armed with guns and pressure-cooker bombs in action that lasted about eight minutes. Nationally, officers involved in shooting while on duty have a much higher rate of leaving the job, but Watertown has managed to beat the odds. “Why? Who’s to say?”

Arrests

Police Log: Two People Charged in One Traffic Stop, Woman Threatens Bank

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
April 2, 5:05 p.m.: Police received a report of a man acting erratically on the 700 block of Mt. Auburn Street. They found the man, and while speaking with him, discovered he had a warrant for his arrest. The 56-year-old Watertown man was arrested on the warrant from Waltham District Court for driving under the influence of alcohol and traffic offenses.

Fallen Firefighter

Watertown Firefighters Salute a Fallen Colleague, Lost 59 Years Ago

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Fifty-nine years ago, the Watertown Fire Department lost one of its own during an attic fire at the then-East Junior High School. On Friday afternoon, Watertown Firefighters paid tribute to Charles Morrill. 

More than a dozen members of the WFD lined up for a moment of silence on the field facing the former junior high on Mt. Auburn Street, which is now the Brigham House. They ended the brief ceremony by saluting their fallen colleague. Provisional Fire Chief Bob Quinn said the Fire Department wanted to remember its members lost while serving the Town of Watertown.

Government

Town Council Approves Funding to Renovate North Fire Station

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The Town Council approved the funds needed to make some major renovations to the North Fire Station to modernize it for the firefighters who live and work there. 

The facility on Orchard Street, also known as Station 3, has five firefighters assigned to it, and runs the Watertown Fire Department’s Engine 1 an Rescue 1 ambulance. The Council approved $1.242 million for the renovations, which will replace or modernize the systems in the building, said Provisional Fire Chief Bob Quinn. “These are long overdue improvements to Station 3,” Quinn said. While there have been some work to the roof within the last couple years and to the floor in 1998, but Quinn said some of the systems are very old. “We will get rid of the old steam radiators and replace them with new heated fin tubes,” Quinn said.

Arrests

Police Log: Wanted Man Tracked Down in Shed, Unruly Patron Breaks Bottles & Computer Screen

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
March 26, 5:34 a.m.: A man discovered that a male friend of his adult daughter was in his home, so the homeowner called police to have the man removed. Police knew that the man had a warrant for his arrest, but when they arrived he was gone. He was spotted a short time later walking down Worcester Street and when officers approached, the man ran away through back yards. Police got the assistance of a State Police search dog and tracked him down inside the shed of a home on Fitchburg Street.

FBI

Watertown Police Lieutenant Returns from FBI Training With New Knowledge and a Brick

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For decades, Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor has had the goal of attending the FBI’s National Academy, and this year he finally got the chance to be one of the select few members of law enforcement to attend the course. After the intense 10-week program one of the most prize possessions he returned home with was a brick covered in yellow paint sitting on a wooden stand. Just one percent of the nation’s local, county and state law enforcement officers get the chance to attend the National Academy at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. O’Connor was part of a class of 223 people from 48 states and 18 countries outside the U.S.

O’Connor, a Watertown native, first heard about the National Academy when he was a young police. “I have a friend who went through it, and I went to visit him (at the Academy) in 1997,” O’Connor said.