Around Town

Police Log: Suspect Caught With Items Taken from Vehicles, Man Busted for Stealing Plants

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

None

Incidents

Between June 22 and June 28, the Watertown Police Department received six reports of an unemployment scheme. The residents report that they got letters about their unemployment applications, but they had never filed for benefits. Unemployment fraud can be reported to the Department of Unemployment Assistance by clicking here. June 22, 6:04 a.m.: Police were called when a witness saw someone trying to get into the window of an Audi SUV on Waverley Avenue.

Police/Fire

Coyote Attacks Dog, Takes it From Porch of Watertown Home

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A coyote. Watertown Police warned residents to watch their pets after a resident reported that her dog had been attacked and taken from her front porch by a coyote. The dog’s body was later found by Police. The attack occurred Tuesday night at a home on Langdon Avenue. The owner had put her Bijon Shitsu, Moogie, on her front porch.

Fiscal Year 2021

Council Approves Town Budget Which Includes 2nd Mental Health Specialist for the Police

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Funding for a second mental health clinician was added to the Watertown Police Department as part of the $152 million Town Budget approved by the Town Council this week. Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the addition of $45,000 for the clinician at Monday night’s Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The move was made after the Council’s budget hearing held on June 24, when several people requested the Town ad more mental health professionals and to do so by reducing the Police Department’s budget. Driscoll said the new position would be funded using money left in the Town’s Free Cash fund at the end of Fiscal Year 2020, so it did not come out of the WPD’s budget. After last week’s meeting, Driscoll spoke with Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn about adding another clinician, who would also work with the WPD’s jail diversion program.

Police/Fire

Lightning Strike Damages Watertown Home, Sets it on Fire

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A lightning strike during the strong storm that hit Watertown Sunday put a hole in the roof of a home near Watertown Square and set the structure on fire. The June 28th storm caused some flooding in areas of town, but Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn said the lightning strike was the only fire that the department had to respond to during the foul weather. “It was a freak of luck the way it worked out,” Quinn said. “We are thankful that the people who were in the house were fine.” Residents called 911 after their three-story, two-family home at 130 Mt.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Fight Breaks Out on Mt. Auburn St., Deli Worker Attacked by Shopper

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Arrests

None

Incidents

Between June 13 and June 21, the Watertown Police Department received 10 reports of an unemployment scheme. The residents report that they got letters about their unemployment applications, but they had never filed for benefits. Unemployment fraud can be reported to the Department of Unemployment Assistance by  clicking here. June 15, 6:52 a.m.: A man who owns a property management company was notified by an employee in Canton that the employee’s vehicle tires were slashed, and the Canton Police were investigating. The man went out of his home on Channing Road and checked his work truck.

Government

Funding of Watertown Police, Requests to Divert Some of Budget Discussed at Council Hearing

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How the Watertown Police Department’s budget is used, and whether there are other ways the money could be spent became a major topic of discussions of Wednesday night’s Fiscal Year 2021 Town Budget Hearing. The WPD budget was just one of many departmental budgets discussed during the hearing, but it garnered the interested of Councilors and members of the public, many of whom wanted to see a portion spent on mental health services provided by the town instead. The meeting was held remotely over Zoom. The Police Department’s budget of $10.3 million makes up 6.76 percent of the Town’s operating budget. The WPD has 70 police officers (including 52 patrol officers), nine dispatchers and four civilian employees, as well as the school crossing guards.

Police/Fire

See the Watertown Students Who Made Minuteman’s Honor Roll

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Minuteman High School vocational technical school in Lexington. The following information was provided by Minuteman High School:

Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School has released the names of the students who were named to High Honor Roll and Honor Roll for the third quarter of the academic year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Term 3 was extended into early May. The 132 students on High Honor Roll and 128 students on Honor Roll reside in the following communities: Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Bolton, Boxborough, Brookline, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Lincoln, Needham, Newton, Reading, Stow, Sudbury, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Westford, Weston, Wilmington, and Woburn. WATERTOWN 

High Honors 

Rouaa Alwaz, Biotechnology, Grade 12Mahnoor Bibi, Health Assisting, Grade 9Zoha Bibi, Health Assisting, Grade 11Dayane Coutinho, Plumbing, Grade 11Izadora Karla Goncalves, Health Assisting, Grade 11Saleena Khan, Health Assisting, Grade 9Elizabeth Linarte, Biotechnology, Grade 12Lilyrose Love, Health Assisting, Grade 11Autumn Sivitis-Camara, Early Education, Grade 11Gabriel Tulipano, Programming and Web Development, Grade 11

 Honors 

Maria DeFreitas, Early Education, Grade 11David Doyle, Advanced Manufacturing, Grade 10Shane Gleason, Health Assisting, Grade 9Fahad Khan, Programming and Web Development, Grade 12Connor Mackenzie, Programming and Web Development, Grade 9Vasiliki Marandianos, Culinary Arts, Grade 12Ava Martin, Design and Visual Communications, Grade 9Michael McNamara, Carpentry, Grade 12Theodore Surenian, Programming and Web Development, Grade 11

See the entire Term 3 Honor Roll list by clicking here.

Fire Department

COVID-19 Impacted Town’s Budget, Details of the Police, Fire Budgets Presented

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Watertown Town Hall

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a major impact on Watertown’s budget, Town Manager Michel Driscoll told the Town Council Tuesday night. He also gave details about how the Police and Fire departments use their funding. Driscoll’s presentation (see the documents here) gave more details about Watertown’s Fiscal 2021 Budget the day before the Town Council will have the chance to ask questions about each Town department’s budget. Two weeks ago, Driscoll presented the $152.4 million budget proposal which included no lay offs, despite the loss of about $4 million related to the COVID-19 pandemic. State Aid is forecast to be down $2.6 million as a result of the impact of the pandemic on the Massachusetts economy, Driscoll said.