Police/Fire

Police Log: Bank Teller Helps Prevent Scam, Shoplifter Arrested, Passport Found

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. May 31: A woman went into Target and took multiple items, including four Lego sets, and went through the self-checkout but didn’t pay. The items had a total value of $210. May 31: A passport was found in Watertown Square on the afternoon of May 31. The Watertown Police can be contacted at 617-972-6500 to claim it.

Police/Fire

Watertown’s First Police Officer of the Month Driving the WPD’s First Electric Police Car

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Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan stands next to the new Mustang Mark E electric vehicle, which is being driven in June by Officer Mike Hill. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

There’s a sleek new Watertown Police cruiser on the roads these days: an all-electric Ford Mustang. The Mustang Mark E is the first EV in the WPD’s fleet, said Police Chief Justin Hanrahan, and he is giving the opportunity to be the first drivers to the Watertown Police Department’s Officer of the Month. For the month of June 2025, the Mustang is being driven by Officer Mike Hill. “It’s sporty,” Hill said.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Shoplifter Arrested After Pushing Over Officer, Man Charged with Pulling Pellet Gun on Another Driver

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. May 22: Watertown Police responded to a call from Ulta in Arsenal Yards about a shoplifting that had just occurred. The store clerk said a man left five minutes earlier after grabbing a cologne and sweatshirt, and setting the alarm off when he left without paying. He left in a white vehicle. Police got the plate number and located it outside Nike.

Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department Seeking Transfers to Fill Openings for Paramedics

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The Watertown Fire Department has added a new strategy to fill openings for paramedics — hiring candidates who transfer from other departments. Traditionally, Watertown hires people off the Civil Service Exam list, said Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, but recently the WFD put out a call for lateral transfers from other departments. The Fire Department has several openings after the City Council approved funding to run a second Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance. “We are looking for transfers now, because paramedics are becoming increasingly difficult to hire,” Nicholson said. “So we’re doing the standard route that we’ve used before, and calling for the list from Civil Service.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Faces Charges of Illegal Possession of Firearms

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Watertown Police arrested a man for illegal possession of firearms after executing a search warrant of his home. On May 27, Watertown Police executed a search warrant at an apartment on Dexter Avenue after receiving a tip of possible illegal firearm sales, according to a statement from the Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan. “As a result of the investigation, two illegal firearms were recovered, and Melvin Solis-Romero was placed under arrest,” the statement reads. The investigation was conducted by Sgt. Mike Martino, Officer Colton Bailey and Officer Andrew DiDuca.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Shoplifting Suspect Stopped After Driving Away, Home Repair Scams

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. From a prior week:

April 25: A resident of Stoneleigh Road whose back yard abuts Oakley Country Club’s golf course was in the yard when the resident saw a golfer come up to the fence and began relieving himself. Vines and bushes blocked the man but the resident saw a stream coming into the yard. The resident yelled at the golfer and called the police. The golfer was gone before police arrived.

Government

Staffing for Second Watertown-Run Ambulance Approved by City Council

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The Watertown Fire Department got approval to run a second ambulance after the City Council approved funding to staff the ambulance on Tuesday. The vote came a couple weeks after the City Council’s Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight heard a presentation from Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson and members of the City administration. That meeting was the second hearing on adding a second ambulance. Nicholson said when calls are handled by the contracted ambulance run by Pro EMS, it takes longer to get to calls, and the City is losing reimbursement for the transportations to hospital when the outside ambulance handles a call. Additionally, he said that Watertown’s paramedics are overworked, morale is low, and several have left the WFD.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Faced Real-Life Scenarios in the Middlesex Sheriff’s Mobile Training Center

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Watertown Police Officer Mike Hill looks at the screen in the Middlesex Sheriff Office’s Mobile Training Center. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

A trailer parked on a vacant lot in Watertown appeared quiet and tranquil from the outside, but inside Watertown Police officers faced intense situations in which they sometimes had to draw their firearms and even fire real bullets. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office recently parked its Mobile Training Center on the former Sterritt Lumber site on Waltham Street for a week, so that the Watertown Police could take part in real world simulations with videos while using their own equipment. Lt. Kevin McManus, who oversees the WPD’s Training Division, said having the training center in town allows officers to go through some of the most realistic training while having the convenience of going through it while they are on a normal shift. The training center uses a system created by Laser Shot, and offers more than 600 different scenarios.