Police/Fire

Watertown Police Officer Signs Off for Last Time, Hear His Police Radio Farewell

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Watertown Police Officer David Gilchrist did not want a big deal made about his last shift before retirement, so his fellow officers gave him a final farewell via the Police Radio. Gilchrist, who worked on the overnight shift his entire career, completed his last shift Wednesday morning after serving the residents of Watertown for more than 32 years. The Watertown Police captured this moment and shared it on its Facebook page. See and hear it below:

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Department will be Assessed for Re-Accreditation

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Chief Michael Lawn is pleased to announce that a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission is scheduled to arrive on June 26, 2018, to begin examining various aspects of the Watertown Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities. Verification by the Assessment Team that the Department meets the Commission’s standards is part of a voluntary process to gain state Accreditation — a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the profession, by the profession. The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the Department must meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 75 of the optional standards. Achieving Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

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.

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.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Local Insurance Agency Thanks Watertown Police an Anniversary of Capture of Bombers

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{The following post was provided by H&K Insurance.}

On April 19th, 2018, five years after the Boston Marathon bombing suspect died in a violent shootout in Watertown, Massachusetts, H&K Insurance hosted a breakfast for the Watertown Police and Fire Department to commensurate the anniversary of this pivotal day. From 10 to 12, a group of hungry officers entered the Community Room to be served hot scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and others pastries – the biggest commodity of them all being coffee. Lining the wall was a buffet style breakfast with a twist, the H&K staff stood one by one to serve them as they serve us every single day. “We are very thankful to the Watertown Police and Fire Department for all of their hard work and service to the community. In wake of what happened five years ago, we couldn’t think of a better way to show our appreciation by preparing a hearty breakfast,” remarked Brian Kilcoyne, President of H&K Insurance.

Police/Fire

Several Hundred Join the 2018 Watertown Finish Strong 5K Run and Walk

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Nearly 600 runners came out on a rainy Sunday morning to celebrate the Watertown Strong spirit inspired by the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings and the capture of the bombing suspects in Watertown five years ago. The fourth annual Watertown Police Finish Strong 5K Run and Walk started and ended at Tufts Health Plan. Despite the poor conditions hundreds participated. Among those at the race this were Boston Marathon Bombing survivor Jeff Bauman and one of the people who helped injured people after the bombing, Carlos Arredondo. The race is run by the Watertown Police Relief Association, Watertown Supervisors Association and Watertown Patrol Officers Association.

Boston Marathon Bombing

In Aftermath of Watertown Shootout, Police Created Group to Help Officers Deal with on the Job Stress

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Thursday, April 19, 2018, marked the fifth anniversary of the day that Watertown Police faced the Boston Marathon Bombers in a shootout on the streets of East Watertown, but at the Watertown Police Station there was little fanfare to mark the day. 

“It’s another day at work, here,” said Police Chief Michael Lawn, who added that officers were treated to breakfast by H & K Insurance. The department’s roster of uniformed personnel in 2018 includes all the officers involved in the shootout five years ago, Lawn said, despite the fact that they faced suspects armed with guns and pressure-cooker bombs in action that lasted about eight minutes. Nationally, officers involved in shooting while on duty have a much higher rate of leaving the job, but Watertown has managed to beat the odds. “Why? Who’s to say?”