Police/Fire

Police Log: Online Car Purchase Goes Wrong, Threats Made to Tufts Employee

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest
May 16, 9:51 p.m.: An officer pulled a over vehicle on Mt. Auburn Street after the driver failed to use a turn signal. When the officer checked the driver’s record it revealed the driver had an out-of-state warrant. The 27-year-old Watertown man was arrested of the fugitive from justice warrant for a charge from Nebraska in a domestic-related incident.

Police/Fire

Police Want to Make Immigrants Feel Welcome, Cut Down on Drugs in Town

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Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn hopes to make the town welcoming to most people, including immigrants, but he wants officers to put more emphasis on enforcing traffic infractions as part of an effort to cut down on the amount of drugs in the area. 

Lawn spoke about the Police Department’s priorities during the budget hearing in front of the Town Council on Saturday. Since he became Police Chief two years ago Lawn has put an emphasis on community policing. “I want officers to get out of their car and get into stores and on the street and speak with people,” Lawn said. The Police Department has a number of programs where residents can meet police  in and participate in fun activities, such as the Cops & Rec sports activities for youngsters, the twice-monthly Coffee with the Chief at the Senior Center, and the Citizens Police Academy (which will be back this fall). Lawn wants to start offering a similar academy for youth, a program that the WPD used to offer and which Lawn himself attended.

Around Town

Registration Open for Cops & Rec Basketball, Hockey and Rock Climbing

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Children can get to know members of the Watertown Police Department and have some fun during the Cops & Rec programs.

There are three programs which are filled on a first come, first served basis. Register for the programs online by clicking here, or in person at the Recreation Office in Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown. Cops & Rec Basketball League

The Watertown Recreation and Police Department are collaborating to offer a summer basketball league. The general objectives of the program are to promote sportsmanship and teamwork in a fun and positive setting, while focusing on basketball fundamentals. There will be a girls league and a boys league.

Arrest

Police Log: Overnight Break In at Sprint Store, Man Can’t Escape Shoplifting Charge

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
May 9, 1:18 a.m.: A man flagged down a police officer patrolling on Main Street near Town Hall. He did not have a particular problem, he just wanted to speak with the officer. While talking with the man, the officer discovered the man had a warrant for his arrest. The 35-year-old Lakeville man was arrested on the warrant from Hingham District Court for violating the terms of probation.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Practice Real-Life Situations in Life-Sized Simulator

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A man with a knife has cornered three students in the school library and is threatening to stab them. A husband barges into his wife’s workplace and has a man by the collar and is screaming at him. These are just two such situations police officers may encounter, and they only have seconds to decide how to respond. 
Members of the Watertown Police Department recently got a chance to practice  how to handle these scenarios using high tech equipment that turns the department’s shooting range into a realistic, life-sized, interactive simulation. Every officer must go through the training, which uses the Fire Arms Training Simulator made by Meggitt Training. The equipment, which costs many tens-0f-thousands of dollars, was donated to the WPD by Wyc Grousbeck, an entrepreneur and co-owner and CEO of the Boston Celtics.

Police/Fire

Police Log: String of Car Break Ins, Man Has to be Removed from Church Service

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. 
Arrest
April 30, 4:02 p.m.: Police spotted a vehicle cross over the center line on Arsenal Street. The officer pulled the vehicle over and found the driver had an active warrant. The 27-year-old Jamaica Plain man was arrested on the warrant from Dorchester District Court for failure to stop for police, reckless driving, and a crosswalk violation. He was also cited for marked lanes violation. May 2, 7:49 a.m.: A makeshift camp site was discovered in a parking lot on the 800 block of Mt.

Police/Fire

Three from Watertown Graduate from Mass. Firefighting Academy

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Three of Watertown’s newest firefighters graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on Friday. 

Watertown Provisional Fire Chief Robert Quinn announced the graduation of Anthony Tomao, Daniel Russo and Taylor Davis from the academy in Stow. “The Department is happy to have these firefighters trained and back at the station working to serve the citizens of Watertown,” Quinn said. The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy sent out the following information:

State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy
Director David C. Evans announced the graduation of the 263rd class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program on May 11, 2018. “This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic
skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J.
Ostroskey. The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy (MFA), a division of the Department of Fire Services, offers this program tuition-free.

Police/Fire

State Police Seek Suspect in Sexual Assault Reported Along the Charles River

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The Massachusetts State Police sent out the following announcement:

Massachusetts State Police are investigating a reported sexual assault committed this afternoon on Greenough Boulevard in Watertown. A woman, who is in her 20s, reported that she was indecently assaulted by a man at approximately 2:45 p.m. while she was walking along the riverside roadway. The victim stated that the suspect rushed her from behind, grabbed her, and began to forcibly kiss her. The suspect continued to forcibly kiss the victim even as she told him to stop, tried to push him away, and tried to break free. At one point during the assault the suspect indecently touched the victim.