Boston Marathon Bombing

MBTA Officer Hurt in Watertown Shootout Returns to Duty

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Sergeant Donohue pic.twitter.com/I6dRyG2uOt
— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) May 15, 2015
MBTA Police Officer Dic Donohue almost lost his life during the shootout in Watertown with the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects, but after a long recovery he returned to duty this week, and got promoted! The MBTA Police held a promotion ceremony this week, and Donohue told WHDH Channel 7 that he is glad to be back on duty. See more by clicking here. Donohue also commented this week on the jury’s decision to give the death penalty to convicted Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. “Just over two years after the events that impacted us as a community and a nation, we can finally close this chapter in our lives.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Family Says Officer Died From Injuries From Shootout with Bombers in Watertown

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A Boston Police officer who collapsed and died last year may have died from injuries suffered during the shootout with the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects in Watertown, and his family is seeking benefits related to the incident. On April 19, 2013 Boston Police Officer Dennis Simmonds reportedly rushed into Watertown, where officers were engaged in a fierce gun battle with the Tsarnaev brothers. Simmonds was allegedly knocked off his feet and suffered a head injury after one of the brothers threw an explosive that night. A year later, he collapsed and died while working out at the Boston Police Academy Gym. He was 28, and a six year veteran of the BPD.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Enforcing Seat Belt Laws During Click It or Ticket Event

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From May 11 to May 25, the Watertown Police Department will team up with Massachusetts State Police and more than 191 eligible local police departments statewide to promote seat belt usage through increased traffic enforcement. 
Watertown will take part in the national Click It or Ticket (CIOT) seat belt enforcement mobilization, which is funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD), according to an announcement from the Watertown Police Department.  
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2013 there were 21,132 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the United States.  49 percent of the people killed (10,458) were unbelted. “Watertown is focusing our enforcement efforts on safety belts to increase usage and save lives,” said Watertown Police Sgt. David Sampson. NHTSA reports that the national seat belt usage rate is 87 percent. Massachusetts is lagging behind at 76.6 percent. During the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, Massachusetts had a lower rate of restraint use among fatally-injured passenger vehicle occupants than the rest of the nation.      
“Officers will issue citations to anyone traveling without a buckled seat belt or transporting unrestrained children. The goal is not to hand out tickets, but to keep the public safe. A seat belt is the best defense against impaired, distracted, and aggressive drivers,” said Sgt. Sampson.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Employee Caught Stealing from Business and More

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
April 27, 9:58 p.m.: Security at the Watertown Street Stop & Shop spotted a man put several items into a shopping cart and walk toward the entrance. He was stopped and had $598.78 worth of groceries. The 25-year-old Newton man was arrested for larceny over $250. April 28, 3:13 p.m.: A woman was spotted putting several items of clothes into her pocketbook and more items between her pocketbook and her body.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Arrested for OUI and Leaving Scene of Accident

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
April 24, 6:26 a.m.: Police served a warrant from Middlesex Juvenile Court on a 14-year-old boy from Watertown for threatening to commit a crime. April 26, 11:37 p.m.: A Grandview Avenue heard a crash and looked out to see a black sedan leaving the are after hitting a parked car. Police found the driver side of the parked car heavily damaged. Several minutes later a car was found in a driveway on King Street with heavy passenger side damage and the engine was still warm.

Police/Fire

WBUR Series Tells the Story of a Former Watertown Cop Murdered in Her Home

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A two-part story about the murder of a former Watertown Police officer whose murder remains unsolved, will air on WBUR 90.9 FM on Monday and Tuesday. Gail Miles was Watertown’s first, black female officer and she was killed under mysterious circumstances in December 2011 in her Roxbury home. The killing remains unsolved. Her career in Watertown was not always a smooth one, as she sued the department claiming she had been the victim of discrimination. In late 2001, Miles received $150,000 in a settlement out of court, and the settlement contained a stipulation that Watertown Police complete a mandatory officer training program aimed at preventing sexual and racial harassment, according to a Boston Globe report at the time of her death.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Arrest Drug Dealer After a Joint Investigation

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Watertown Police arrested a drug dealer after a months-long investigation. The police department teamed with the Suburban Middlesex Drug Task Force during the investigation, said Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn

“In January 2015, police received complaints of a drug dealer in the area of Waverley Avenue,” Lawn said. The man was identified as 44-year-old Preston Mitchell of Watertown, Lawn said. On the evening of April 21, police arrested Mitchell on three counts of distribution of a Class B substance – Percocet pills, Lawn said.

Police/Fire

Beware of Phone Scammers Claiming to be Middlesex Sheriff Koutoujian

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Residents should beware of a phone scam being done using the Middlesex Sheriff’s number claiming people owe taxes. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office has received more than 30 calls from individual reporting having been contacted over the phone by men and women claiming to be with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office and threatening arrest for failure to pay federal taxes, according to an announcement from the Sheriff’s Office. A number of those who reported the calls to the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office said a male caller specifically identified himself as Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office also determined that many of those who received scam calls yesterday were affiliated with Tufts University and immediately notified the university once that connection was made. The Tufts University Police Department encourages students or employees who receive such calls to let TUPD know as soon as possible.