Police/Fire

Package Thieves Caught Red Handed by Watertown Police

By |

Three men suspected of stealing packages from an Arsenal Street apartment complex were arrested when Watertown Police caught them with a car full of boxes. Shortly before 10 p.m. on Feb. 24, Watertown Police received a call from a resident who saw a blue BMW backed up to the loading dock at The Gables apartment building, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “The caller thought it was suspicious due to the late hour, and it is not common for a passenger car to be in the shipping area,” O’Connor said. “He saw a person make several trips in and out of the building, each time coming out with packages, and placing the packages in the trunk of the vehicle.”

Letters

LETTER: Group Seeks Racial Equity in Policing in Watertown

By |

The following piece was provided by the Watertown Joint Police Reform Group:

Given the national dialogue about the disparate impact policing has had on people of color throughout our history, it should come as no surprise that Watertown is also impacted by systemic racism. For example, in 2018-19 Black residents were arrested at a rate 5-6 times their percentage of the Watertown population. Watertown Joint Police Reform Group (WJPRG) is a coalition of four grassroots citizen groups that has been working on police reform proposals since last summer. The coalition comprises Uplift Watertown, Watertown Citizens for Black Lives (WCBL), the Kingian Response Team Working Group on Non-Violence Training, and the Kingian Response Team Working Group on a Watertown Police Department (WPD) Community Advisory Board. The group hopes to raise awareness among town residents of the practical ways that the WPD could address the disparate impacts of policing on people of color.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Fraudulent GrubHub Order, Catalytic Converter Stolen

By |

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None. Incidents

Feb 15, 1:39 p.m.: A Watertown man reported that someone tried to cash a check in his name. The check was for $498, and the person attempted to cash it in Connecticut. He was notified by his bank about the attempt, and said the check was not from his checkbook.

Arrests

Police Log: Attempted Home Break-in, Man Arrested After Shoplifting Spree

By |

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

Feb. 3, 7:35 p.m.: A shoplifting in-progress was reported by Target security., While police were on the way to the store they received information that the suspect had fled the store. Officers located a man fitting the suspect’s description on Arsenal Street just outside the Watertown Mall. The suspect immediately said, “I am sorry for taking the items. I will give them back.”

Around Town

District Attorney Investigating Reports of Elder Abuse, Neglect at Watertown Facility

By |

A Watertown long-term facility is being investigated after reports of elder abuse and neglect surfaced. Vero Health & Rehab, also called the Watertown Health Center, is the focus of an investigation by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office after Watertown Police responded to reports of abuse of residents at the facility on Coolidge Hill Road, according to a report by WBZ Channel 4 investigation. WBZ found reports of residents who were bruised and suffered cuts, firefighters finding a man on the floor injured and asking for help, and a patient’s ventilator not working. Hundreds of 911 calls were made from the facility in the last couple years, including some from patients. State officials found the facility was deficient in COVID-19 infection control, according to the story, and Medicare surveys rated the overall quality of care he below average.

Arrest

Police Catch Man Breaking into Watertown Church

By |

An alert resident helped police catch a man who had broken into an East Watertown church. The Watertown Police received a call on Feb. 6 just before midnight about a person banging on a door at the Greek Orthodox Church/Hellenic Cultural Center on Bigelow Avenue, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “When we arrived, officers observed a glass door on the Bigelow Avenue side of the building completely shattered,” O’Connor said. “As officers approached the shattered door they heard noises from inside the building.

Police/Fire

Police Log: String of Car Break-ins, Employee Theft at Target

By |

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None

Incidents

Jan. 25, 1:28 p.m.: Target conducted an investigation on an employee suspected of stealing products from the store. Target security found that an employee working in the online order fulfillment department was selecting additional items not on the order list and placing them into a carriage. He put the items in separate bags, and at the end of his shift he would take the bags and leave the store.