Police/Fire

Rash of Smashed Car Windows Reported Around Watertown

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Watertown Police are investigating several recent reports of vehicles that had their rear windows smashed by large rocks or objects. From late on the night of July 28 to the morning of July 31, Watertown Police received six reports of back windows of vehicles that had been smashed in different locations around town. The first incident was reported on Edenfield Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. on July 28. The owner had seen the window intact at about 6 p.m.

On July 29, a Hillside Road resident found the rear window completely shattered shortly after 8 a.m. A piece of concrete was used in this incident. A Westminster Avenue resident parked on the street at about 2 p.m. on July 29 and at about four looked out and saw the back window of the vehicle had been smashed.

Police/Fire

Watertown Nursing Facility Thanks First Responders, Looks to Show Them Things Have Changed Under New Management

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Vero Health CareVero Watertown thanked members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments for a cookout, recently. Pictured, from left, Fire Lt. Glen McManus, State Rep. Steve Owens, Vero Health Care President/COO Uma Rajagopal, Police Officer Ryan Vaughan, and Vero Watertown Administrator Tim Churchill. The operators of a Watertown skilled nursing facility that has struggled recently wanted to show that the place is under new management, and invited over the first responders, who visit on a regular basis, to thank them. At the end of June, Vero Health & Rehab of Watertown held a cookout for the members of the Watertown Fire and Police departments, and also invited State Rep. Steve Owens to come by and tour the facility. The facility on Coolidge Hill Road came under scrutiny after reports of possible elder abuse and hundreds of 911 calls coming from there, including sometimes from patients.

Arrest

Police Track Down Maine Man Wanted for Sending Obscene Material to a Child After 2 Years

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Watertown Police brought a man into custody who had been wanted for two years on charges of sending obscene material to a child. In 2019, the parents of a 12-year-old child contacted Watertown Police after their child received obscene images allegedly sent by Agasha Carvalho, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor, who added that Carvalho was known to the family who made the complaint. Based on the investigation of the incident, Watertown Police got a warrant for Carvalho’s arrest, O’Connor said, but could not serve the warrant because Carvalho lived in Bangor, Maine. “We could not enforce the warrant in the State of Maine,” O’Connor said. “On June 4, we received information that Mr. Carvalho was traveling to either Belmont or Waltham with his family.”

Boston Marathon Bombing

Hero’s Ending: Watertown Police Sergeant Who Helped Capture Boston Marathon Bombers Retires

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown Police Sgt. Jeff Pugliese is interviewed along with FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers at the press conference for the 2016 movie “Patriots Day.” The final day of May 2021 also marked the final day in a long career for one of the heroes of the Watertown Police Department who faced off with the Boston Marathon Bombers. Sgt. Jeff Pugliese worked his final shift on Memorial Day, and received congratulations from family, friends and fellow officers at the Watertown Police Station.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Investigating Shooting Overnight on the Westside of Town

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Watertown Police responded to the site of a shooting in the early hours of May 24. They seek a suspect in the incident in which no one was injured. The call came in about 3 a.m. on Monday about possible gun shots in the Lexington Gardens neighborhood, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “Shortly after the police arrival, it was determined that a residence on Philip Darch Road was shot at several times,” O’Connor said in a statement on Monday afternoon. “The occupants were home sleeping at the time of the incident and no one was injured.”

21st Century Policing

OP-ED: Who Gets to Reform the Police?

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“Owning your own narrative” is a common expression used in business, in politics, and in private life where personal reputation is at stake. Owning your narrative means ensuring that what is told about you matches the way you’d like it to be told, without distortions, mischaracterization, half-truths, or false perceptions. If you are waging a battle in the arena of public opinion, and others succeed in owning your narrative, you have lost the battle. If you are paying even the slightest attention to town politics, you are aware that there is a police crisis in Watertown, centered around alleged racist behavior regarding stops, citations, and arrests. In my opinion — and I believe in the opinion of the vast majority of residents — this is an invented crisis.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Arrest Waltham Man Who Had an Illegal Firearm, Variety of Drugs

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Watertown Police arrested a 25-year-old Waltham man found to have an unlicensed firearm and drugs. On the evening of April 27, a Palfrey Street resident called Police because he suspected two men had been attempting to break into his home. When Police arrived, the homeowner pointed out two men walking down Palfrey Street, away from the house, and officers were able to stop them, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. One was identified as Ernest Russo of Waltham. “While they were speaking with the two men, one of the officers observed Mr. Russo clutching something in his waistband,” O’Connor said.

Defund the Police

OP-ED: Is it Really Time to Cancel the Police?

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In cities and towns across the country, the very concept of policing is under fire, and whether you are aware of it or not, Watertown is no exception. It seems that not a week goes by without a bad cop, somewhere, adding fuel to that fire. Whether it’s a veteran cop somehow mistaking her gun for a taser and killing a young Black man, or a bully with a badge pepper-spraying a respectful and compliant Black army lieutenant, anti-police activists need only to say: “See, it happened again and it will keep happening, unless we do something.”

Defund the Police became a popular rallying cry during the racial protest demonstrations resulting from the killing of George Floyd and the killings of too many other Black Americans who died as a result of unwarranted lethal force at the hands of white cops. The video of George Floyd’s murder by Derek Chauvin was absolute gut-wrenching proof that policing in America requires reexamination and overdue reform. It was only natural that in cities and towns across the nation, residents, including some in Watertown, began asking:

Could that happen here?