January 20, 2006
Honorable Board of Selectmen
William J. Lee Memorial Town Hall
1 Lafayette Street
Wakefield, Massachusetts 01880-2436
Dear Board Members:
Report of the Chief of Police
As Chief of the Wakefield Police Department, I am honored to share with you the Annual Report for the
calendar year 2005. The past year was a period of positive change and personal growth within the
Department. Please find the following overview of the year 2005.
The Department finally cut over to the new Computer Aided Dispatch system for records management and
dispatch. The new system was purchased under a grant obtained from the Department of Justice last year.
We were awarded $138,000 to install the new system. Additionally, we were able to complete the interface
of our new 911 system to the CAD system which will enhance our emergency call taking capabilities.
The following is a list of some of the significant events from the past year:
January 2005 was the inauguration of President George W. Bush. The Wakefield Police Department,
through its membership with the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) was
asked to assist with security at the inauguration events. We sent one officer to Washington DC at the
expense of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department to assist with security. January 22 and 23
brought a blizzard to New England. Additionally during this month we suffered a string of armed
robberies. Based on information from Officer Dave Morales, Wakefield officers were able to identify the
perpetrator and assist seven other communities in closing out similar robberies.
As we all know, narcotics use and abuse is on the rise. In particular, Oxycontin is one of the most abused
narcotics available to youth today. Wakefield officers, in concert with the NEMLEC Narcotics Unit made
two major arrests during March resulting in the seizure of two motor vehicles and hundreds of Oxycontin
pills. From the training perspective, the Wakefield Police co-sponsored, with Purdue Pharmaceuticals, a
drug recognition training program for local police officers. It was a huge success.
March was also a month that Wakefield Police and Fire personnel responded to a tragic fatal accident on
North Ave in which two pedestrians were struck by a motor vehicle. One pedestrian died and the second
suffered serious injuries.
With the arrival of good weather in May, we assisted the Wakefield Fire Department and other Fire and
Police Departments from the area in battling a huge marsh fire in the Reedy Meadow. Due to the strong
spring winds, the Edgewater Complex on Audubon Road had to be evacuated as flames crept close to the
buildings. Thankfully there were no injuries and property damage was nil.
In July we submitted a request for Community Policing funds from the Executive Office of Public Safety.
The Town of Wakefield was eligible for and received $39,000 as a result of the grant application.
On the hottest day of the summer, Wakefield Police participated in the funeral for Massachusetts State
Police Trooper Vincent Cila who was killed in the line of duty. Trooper Cila, who lived in Wakefield, was
killed in a motorcycle accident in the Ted Williams Tunnel. Officers maintained crowd control and stood
shoulder to shoulder with thousands of our brother and sister officers in the 103 degree heat to bid farewell
to a friend, colleague and neighbor.
September brought another sad event with the passing of Selectman John Gallucci. The whole town
mourned as we bid farewell to a man who held the Town of Wakefield first in his heart. His humor,
friendship and service to the Town will be missed.
In October we experienced a huge increase in service calls. It was also a time when we noticed vandalism,
especially around our schools to spike dramatically. As a result, ten youths were arrested near the rear of
the Greenwood School on Halloween night. This finally put a stop to the vandalism and sent a message
that the Town would not tolerate this behavior.
We changed our reporting format in November. Sgt Scott Reboulet was assigned the task of developing
and maintaining the reporting function and analysis within the Department. Additionally, we noticed an
increase in the number of purse snatches in and around Wakefield Square. Officers, based on information
shared with Stoneham, arrested two people and charged them with the unarmed robberies. Additionally, a
member of the Housing Authority played an integral role in capturing a suspect who had robbed a store in
Wakefield Square at knifepoint. This is a true example of the community working together with the police.
A great job done by a concerned citizen!
As we wound out the year we assigned officers to radar enforcement under the Click It or Ticket Program.
This was made possible by an $11,000 grant from the Governors’ Highway Safety Bureau for traffic
enforcement and mitigation. The program has proven very successful.
Also during December we noticed an increase in calls for overdoses from narcotic ingestion. As a result,
the Department is launching a proactive training seminar for adults targeting the recognition of drug use
and abuse. Hopefully, we can train parents in what to look for and hopefully stem the tide of these horrible
events.
The request for police services for the year is outlined below:
CALLS FOR SERVICE 10,948
PERSONS ARRESTED 285
Males 174 Females 84
Adults 247 Juveniles 38
MOTOR VEHICLE VIOLATIONS 1334
Most Frequent:
Speeding 518
Red Light Violation 120
Failure to Keep Right 42
Unregistered Motor Vehicle 35
Operating under the Influence 45
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS 326
Accidents w/Injury 91
Accidents w/o Injury 234
Fatal Accidents 1
PROPERTY STOLEN $719,123
RECOVERED $ 81,719
COMMUNITY POLICING
During 2005, the Wakefield Police Department continued its philosophy on Community Policing. We
believe that the community is as much a part of the Police Department as the Police Department is of the
community. With that philosophy in place officers remained very involved in the community. Our Rape
Aggression Defense Program (RAD) continued training citizens in how to defend against an attack. Thank
you to an unnamed business, we were able to continue with this program.
Due to a change in disbursement of funds by the Executive Office of Public Safety, we did not receive our
Community Police grant for 2005 until September. As a result of the late arrival of the $38,000 awarded to
us, we were unable to deploy the bicycle unit as we have in the past. Officers were still on bicycle patrol
but it was diminished.
Officers participated in a number of safety initiatives and participated in the annual Common Ground
thanks to these funds. Additionally, we were able to outfit each of our officers with new digital cameras to
assist them in the performance of their jobs.
In October, as a result of a lot of hard work preparing the grant for 2006, we received another $50,000 for
Community Policing. We have a lot of new programs in store for that money.
We also received another $8000 to assist us in our traffic initiatives under the Governor’s Highway Safety
Program. The Wakefield Police Department is committed to reducing the number of intoxicated and
impaired drivers within the Town.
Over the past few years, the Wakefield Police Department has sponsored a unique intern program. This
program, open to college students who are residents of Wakefield, has proven quite successful. Interns,
once accepted, are required to contribute 150 hours to the Department. During those hours they are
exposed to police operations, management and by the end of their tenure, a ride along with seasoned
officers. Upon conclusion of the program, most colleges require the student to produce a term paper on
their experiences. We require an exit interview from the intern so that we can evaluate our operations from
the intern’s perspective. Our program allows the department to give back to the community by allowing
our residents the opportunity to experience police operations in real time.
INVESTIGATIONS
During the year Wakefield Police Officers investigated a number of serious crimes. The majority of those
are outlined below. Detectives were very busy this year trying to stem the tide of drugs in Town. Officers
made a number of drug related arrests and participated in many raids of homes etc for drug violations.
Detectives were also praised by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for initiating and working on a
major trafficking ring that involved over twenty people in six different states.
Homicide 0
Sex Crimes (all categories) 9
Robbery 8
Burglary 42
Assaults 62
Motor Vehicles Stolen 16
Disturbances 755
PERSONNEL
This year we had two retirements. In July Officer George Barry retired after serving the Town of
Wakefield for 31 years. In September Officer Charlie O’Donnell retired after 32 years. We wish them
both a long, healthy and happy retirement.
In May we promoted three officers. Sergeant Mark Pherson was promoted to Lieutenant. He is now our
night commander. Patrol Officers Craig Calabrese and Scott Reboulet were both promoted to Sergeant
from Patrol. Both new Sergeants are now working nights. Sgt. Calabrese is also responsible for
coordination with Homeland Security and training in the Incident Command System. Sergeant Reboulet is
responsible for reporting and crime analysis. Our heartfelt congratulations to all three officers.
TRAINING
All of our officers continue to receive the best training we can provide for them. Our regular training
regimens take place on an annual basis with specialized training taking place when we can afford it and
when there is a need. Officers train annually at the range to maintain their proficiency in handling firearms
and special weapons. Officers are also recertified annually in CPR and First Responder. Over the past two
years, each of our officers has been trained in the Incident Command System (ICS) as well as the National
Incident Management System (NIMS) as required under Homeland Security. A special thanks to the
officers who are responsible for the training and to all the officers for their continuous pursuit for
excellence.
As we bring the year 2005 to a close, I would like to commend the members of the Wakefield Police
Department for the fine job they do every day. It has not been an easy year for our members, especially
with the short staffing levels we now have. The pursuit of professionalism and the desire to provide the
citizens with the level of safety and security they deserve is unparalleled. I look forward to the future and
the challenge of bringing the finest police services possible to the people of Wakefield. It is only possible
with the hard work and dedication of the members of the Wakefield Police. I thank each and every one of
them.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard E. Smith
Chief of Police
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