Police/Fire

Still Time to Sign Up for the Watertown Police Citizens Academy

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Once against this fall the Watertown Police Department will host the Citizens Police Academy, and you can still sign up. The academy is free and meets one evening a week for eight weeks, starting Monday, Sept. 18. To see the application materials click here. Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn wrote the following informational letter:

As the Watertown Police Department advances its community policing efforts, it is important to have citizen-police interaction and cooperation.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Seek Identity Suspects in an Assault and Theft from CVS

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On July 16, 2017, at about 5 a.m. below six people came into CVS in Watertown Square and stole items from the store who were also involved in another crime that night. Watertown Police seek assistance identifying the six individuals involved in a theft from CVS at 27 Main St., Watertown. These six are are suspects in an assault and battery that occurred in the area on the same night. Anyone with information can contact Detective Kevin McManus, kmcmanus@police.watertown-ma.gov or 617-972-6544

Schools

Watertown Schools Get Bomb Threat by Email, Police Find No Devices

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Watertown Public School officials said they received an email with a bomb threat directed toward all the Watertown schools Friday morning, but police found nothing when they searched the campuses. Most of the schools are not being used this summer, but Watertown Police searched each of the schools, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “We checked all the schools and nothing was found,” O’Connor said. The Hosmer School is hosting the Watertown Recreation Department’s Pequossette Summer Program, so the school will be monitored through the day, said Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston in her letter to parents. Similar threats have been made in recent days to schools in nearby communities, O’Connor said, including Newton, Waltham and Belmont.

Around Town

Free Workshop Offered to Residents on Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation

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The Watertown Kingian Nonviolence Coordinating Committee announced a new community training course on “Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation.”

The 16-hour course will be held on two Saturdays, August 19 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the Community Room of the Watertown Police Department, 552 Main Street. The course is co-sponsored by World in Watertown with support from the Watertown Police Department, and has been made possible by a significant grant from the Watertown Community Foundation. The Kingian Nonviolence Coordinating Committee is excited to share this fun and interactive curriculum with the community. It was co-authored by Dr. Bernard LaFayette and David Jehnsen to teach how Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy and methodology can be applied to present-day conflicts, both personal and societal. The course will be taught by youth and faculty trainers from the Watertown Public Schools, as well as officers from the Watertown Police Department.

Entertainment

The First of Two Free Family Movie Nights Coming This Friday

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The Watertown Police and the Recreation Department will host a pair of free family movie nights – the first one this Friday – with games, activities and food. The Police and Recreation departments sent out the following announcement:

Please join us…

Friday, July 14 (Showing Disney’s Moana)

Friday, August 11 (TBD)

6:30-10 p.m.

Watertown Elementary students, bring your friends and family for a night of fun and excitement! The festivities will be held outside in the park at 552 Main St., behind the Police Station

6:30- 8:00 Games, Face Painting, Popcorn, Pizza and Refreshments

8:00 The Movie will begin! Please park in the front of the police station!

Police/Fire

Police Log: More than $15K Charged to ID Fraud Victim, Graffiti Aimed at Police

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
None
Incidents
June 19, 4:30 p.m.: A woman came to the Police Station to report that when she was applying for a loan she found some discrepancies on her credit report. It showed someone had opened two credit cards in her name and charged $2,000. Also, four student loans for a total of $15,000 were opened in her name, and there was a mortgage in her name for $10,000. The woman is working with the credit bureau to work out the problems.

June 19, 7 p.m.: A resident reported receiving a package from UPS and inside the person found five Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus phones inside which the resident did not order.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Chief Says Texting While Driving is “a Big Problem”

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One of the biggest safety concerns for Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn these days is people texting while driving, and he said he would like to see the state change the laws regarding cellphone use. 

In many states drivers are not allowed to pick up their phone for any reason, but that is not the case in Massachusetts. “I don’t know why we are not hands free,” Lawn said when he appeared before the Town Council for the Police Department’s budget hearing. “(Texting while driving) is a big problem.” Texting while driving is illegal in Massachusetts, but Lawn noted that drivers can pick up their phone to make a phone call, so it can be difficult to prove what they were doing while holding their phones. “I’m a proponent …

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Emphasizing Building Relationships in Community

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When Watertown Police officers are on patrol, Police Chief Michael Lawn wants them to get to know the people in town and form relationships in the areas where they patrol. 

This is part of the Watertown Police Department’s emphasis on community policing, Lawn to the Town Council at Saturday’s budget hearing. “I tell them, I want you to get out of your car and talk to people,” Lawn said. “You are not starting a new program or making speeches, but talk to people.” As one example, he pointed to Sgt. John MacLellan, who one afternoon bought a bunch of big lollipops and gave them to a group of kids in East Watertown.