The Family’s Profession: Fourth Generation Police Officer Joins Belmont PD

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Photo: Officer Brian O’Donovan being sworn in by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.

Brian O’Donovan today has joined the family profession.

On Monday, Nov. 7, with his parents Michael and Kerry O’Donovan, police and town officials in attendance, Belmont native Brian O’Donovan was sworn in as a Belmont Police officer by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman in a formal ceremony held at the Belmont Gallery of Art in the Homer Building.

O’Donovan is the fourth generation public safety officer in his family – his father is a Boston University Police Officer and his grandfather, John R., was a Lt. Col. in the Massachusetts State Police and Chief of the MBTA Police – joining the department his great grandfather, John R. Sr., served.

On Friday, Nov. 4, O’Donovan graduated after a 27-week intensive academy program hosted by the Lowell Police Academy.

O’Donovan is a 2009 graduate of Belmont High School where he played hockey. He joined the US Maines in 2010.

Assistant Chief James MacIsaac and Lt. Kristin Daley represented the Police Department, and Town Administrator David Kale attended the ceremony.

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Second Town Gun Buy Back Event Result in Less Gun, More Food

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Photo: (from left) Patty Mihelich of the Belmont Food Pantry receiving a check for nearly $2,500 from Amy Starzec and Belmont Police Chief Rich McLaughlin.

Belmont’s second annual Gun Buy Back resulted in making the community a bit safer and the Belmont Food Pantry a little richer.

Belmont Police Chief Richard J. McLaughlin reported that the

Held this past June at the town’s DPW yard, residents were able to discard in a safe way unwanted firearms and ammunition, said Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin.

Working in partnership with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, Belmont Religious Council, individual Belmont houses of worship and our regional police partners Cambridge, Arlington, Watertown and Somerville, the Belmont Police collected a variety of firearms during the day-long event including rifles, shotguns, and pistols.

All firearms turned in at the Gun Buyback will be turned over to the Massachusetts State Police for destruction following the law. 

And $2,469.97 in leftover grocery gift cards and cash, which were purchased by individuals, local businesses and houses of worship and given in exchange for the firearms, was donated to the Belmont Food Pantry to help the 60 local families that require assistance in purchasing food each month.

If residents have questions regarding the Gun Buy Back Program or would like information on what to do with unwanted and unused firearms and ammunition, contact Belmont Police Lt. Kristin Daley at 617-993-2554 or via email kdaley@belmontpd.org 

Weekend Helicopter Mystery Solved: Blame It On Hollywood

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Photo: An internet photo of the low-flying helicopter flying over parts of Belmont over the weekend

It was something out of  film “Apocalypse Now”: A low-flying helicopter was buzzing parts of Belmont and neighboring Watertown starting around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2.  For more than an hour, the helicopter would circle over one neighborhood then buzz close to the ground only to hover again.

When residents called into Belmont Police, they were told the copter was “conducting night photography over Belmont.”

Then early Sunday morning, Sept. 4, before 6 a.m. the same helicopter winged its way over the town staying around for more than an hour, waking up many residents who were left asking the same question: what was really going on? Speculation included the flights being part of the airport’s noise abatement program and spraying for mosquitos.

For some Belmontians and other citizens, the truth a bit darker and was not being explained.

“Something isn’t right,” commented Mark McIver on the Belmontonian Facebook page. “I feel the BPD didn’t even know about this bs until they witnessed it and heard complaints.” … “Big brother does whatever he wants and the local boys report what they are told. Wake up people…”

“Sounds fishy..” wrote Edward Cartwright. 

Thanks to the Watertown News and its great editor, Charlie Breitrose, the mystery of the low-flying copter has been solved.

And you can blame it on Hollywood.

According to the News, after fielding a substantial number of calls on Friday and Sunday, Watertown Police began an investigation by taking down the identification number of the tail of the helicopter. The ID led to Norwood Airport and the helicopter which is owned by Wings Air, out of White Plains, N.Y.

“We were finally able to track down an employee who told us that they were contracted by CBS Films to do overall air shots for the ‘Patriots Day’ movie,” according to Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn.

The film, which stars Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons (as Watertown Police Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese) and John Goodman, chronicles the events of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 and the gun battle and manhunt of the Tsarnaev brothers. The film will have a limited release on Dec. 21 with a wide release on Jan. 13, 2017.

And it appears that the production crew may not have had the best understanding of the towns in the region.

“[Wings Air] stated that they filed their flight plan with [Federal Aviation Administration] and also contacted Malden Police Department for some reason but never contacted Watertown PD,” said Lawn. “We expressed our displeasure for this and they were extremely apologetic for causing this alarm and disturbance.”

The good news is that the overhead filming is complete, and the company has returned to New York.

“I will follow up [Tuesday, Sept. 6] with CBS Films and make sure they know how we feel and make sure this does not happen again,” Lawn said.

Town Settles With Superior Officers, Only Dispatchers Without Contract

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Photo: Superiors officers settle, now it’s up to the dispatchers union to sign on the dotted line.

The Belmont Board of Selectmen voted Monday, Aug. 22 approving a three-year deal – from July 2014 to June 2017 – between the eight members of the Belmont Police Superior Officers Union and the town.

The agreement, negotiated by Belmont’s Human Resources Director Jessica Porter, means only the Dispatcher’s Union remain without a current contract among the town’s unions.

The contract’s highlights include:

  • An annual two percent cost-of-living-adjustment which is consistent with other town/union contracts.
  • While not random testing, the union agreed to drug and alcohol testing “based upon reasonable suspicion.” 
  • Newly hired/promoted superior officers as of July 1, will see their health insurance contribution rate go up from 20 percent to 25 percent in exchange for a 25 cents an hour increase n hourly pay. 
  • A “nominal” increase to established stipends will be paid to superior officers serving in special assignments which include as a prosecuting officer, community services officer in command and the department’s two detective positions. 

Mack Truck Takes A Pleasant Street Tumble, Halting AM Traffic Into Center

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Photo: Speed may have been a factor in the one-vehicle accident near Belmont Center on Thursday, Aug. 25.

Late morning traffic came to a halt at one of the busiest town intersection when a dump truck carrying gravel took a tumble sometime before 8:30 a.m. at the corner of Pleasant and Leonard streets, on Thursday, Aug. 25.

No injuries were reported in the one-vehicle accident that shut down the busy intersection for nearly three hours as it took two heavy duty tow trucks to right the rig.

According to an eyewitness, speed was possibly the culprit leading up to the mishap. The Mack truck operated by Ritacco Bros. of Millbury was traveling down the steep slope of Clifton Street attempting to make the right hand turn onto Pleasant Street. Apparently, the truck was going too fast to navigate the corner and tipped onto its driver’s side.

Belmont Fire quickly arrived at the scene – the accident location is one block from the Leonard Street firehouse – and police closed to traffic on Pleasant in both directions.

Waltham Auto Tow arrived and successfully righted the truck at 10:10 a.m. Belmont Public Works’ Highway Division removed the gravel and inspected the roadway. The streets were opened about an hour later.

Belmont Police said any citations for possible traffic violations leading up to the accident would be issued once a formal investigation is completed by the department’s Traffic Division.

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Citation Issued To Driver In Accident That Sent Belmont Cop To The Hospital

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Photo: The aftermath of the accident.

A Belmont resident has been issued a citation for a U-Turn violation resulting in an accident that sent a Belmont Police officer to Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge on Monday, Aug. 8, said Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin.

The officer is recovering at home from injuries to his face and shoulder – including a broken nose – after spending several hours in the emergency room before being released, said McLaughlin. 

At approximately 5:08 p.m., the officer, while driving a marked police motorcycle eastbound on Trapelo Road in the area of White Street, collided with a Subaru driven by the Belmont man just outside of Waverley Square. 

The motorcycle made contact with the Subaru’s driver’s side door sending the officer into the car and onto the pavement.  The police officer was transported by Belmont Ambulance to Cambridge where he was released later that evening.  

The crash caused traffic, including MBTA buses, on Trapelo Road to be detoured around the crash scene.

Belmont Officers, Town Agree to Contract … And Prepares For Another

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Photo: Police Headquarters.

It took a while, but the town and the union representing the cops on the beat have OK’d a new agreement in which Belmont officers receive a wage increase with some concessions – including limited drug testing – on their part.

And in a few months, the two sides will be right back at the bargaining table for another three-year contract.

The Belmont Board of Selectmen voted Monday, Aug. 8 to approve a three-year deal – from July 2014 to June 2017 – between the 31 member Belmont Police Patrolmen’s Organization and the town. 

“We’re very happy with the agreement and [the union’s] negotiating team which settled on a very reasonable settlement,” said Belmont Human Resources Director Jessica Porter. 

The contract’s highlights include:

  • An annual two percent cost-of-living-adjustment which is consistent with other town/union contracts.
  • While not random testing, the union agreed to drug and alcohol testing “based upon reasonable suspicion.” 
  • Newly hired officers as of July 1, will see their health insurance contribution rate go up from 20 percent to 25 percent in exchange for a 25 cents an hour increase n hourly pay. 
  • The stipend for officers who have associates/bachelors/masters degrees in criminal justice is increased to $5,000/$9,500/$11,000 as long as the officers complete their degrees within three-and-a-half years for graduating from the Police Academy. 
  • The 12 patrolmen who have reached Master Patrolman status – based on ten years of experience, training, and performance appraisal – will see their differential from the base salary increase from 2 percent to 2.4 percent. 

Just after the agreement was signed, Porter said she’d begin the next set of contract negotiations for a three-year agreement soon as this new contract expires this coming June 30. Porter is hopeful the new “new” contract will take less time to negotiate and settle. 

“It should be a little smoother for a new contract as we have recently discussed everything that will be on the table,” said Porter.

BREAKING: Belmont PD Officer Injured In Two Vehicle Incident On Trapelo [VIDEO]

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Photo: Scene of the accident.

An on-duty Belmont Police motorcycle officer was taken to Mount Auburn Hospital with undisclosed injuries after he crashed into the side of a late model Subaru near the intersection of Trapelo Road and White Street in Waverley Square just after 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8.

Eyewitnesses told the Belmontonian the unnamed officer was both conscious and talking as he was placed into a Belmont ambulance for the trip to the Cambridge hospital.

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As of 7:30 p.m., the condition of the officer was still unknown.

Afternoon traffic was diverted from Trapelo Road for more than an hour as an accident recreation team viewed the motorcycle – laying on its side in the inbound lane – and the other vehicle which was parked along the outbound side.

A line of MBTA buses stood idling on Trapelo for nearly an hour before the roadway opened to limited traffic. 

“The accident is currently under investigation but it appears that one of our motorcycle units collided with [a] black Subaru on Trapelo Road,” Belmont Police Assistant Chief James MacIsaac told the Belmontonian at the scene. 

MacIsaac said the probe of what happened is still in its early stages.

“We’ll have our crash investigators come out, people with a little more experience and training than your standard officer to understand what happened,” said MacIsaac. 

Along Lexington Street: Some Paving, Restricting Parking and More Stop Signs

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Photo: Where all the action will be in the next weeks.

Lexington Street will be undergoing some significant changes beginning next week.

• For two days beginning on Tuesday, July 19, E.H. Perkins Construction will be paving the raised intersection on Lexington Street at the intersection of Sycamore Street.

The intersection will be closed to through traffic during the paving operation, according to a press release from Belmont town officials and Perkins, the town’s general contractor. 

Sycamore Street will remain open only to residents of the street, said the release. Detours with signage around the project work zone will be used, “but drivers and residents should expect delays and plan accordingly.”

Those with questions can go to the Pavement Management Program webpage or contact the Office of Community Development for additional information.

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• On Monday, July 11, the Belmont Board of Selectmen approved a recommendation from the Traffic Advisory Committee bringing parking restrictions on Chandler Street from the Waltham city line to Lexington Street.

Beginning in the next few weeks, there will be “no parking” 50 feet from Lexington while on the odd-numbered side of Chandler from Lexington to Waltham, there will be a special “no parking” restriction from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in an attempt to thwarted commuters who park along the street all-day. 

• Lexington Street will soon have two new four-way stop intersections, at Beech and Burnham streets, to slow through traffic along the byway. 

Personnel Comings And Goings At Belmont Police

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Photo: Belmont’s newest officer Richard Murphy (second left) with his parents and Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin and Assistant Chief James MacIsaac.

Belmont’s newest Police Officer, Richard Murphy, was sworn in by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman in the Selectmen’s Room of Town Hall on Thursday, June 30.

Murphy graduated from the Boston Police Academy on Wednesday, June 29, with Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin and Belmont Town Administrator David Kale at the ceremony. Murphy ranked number one academically in the class of 67 officers, graduated after a 27-week intensive academy program hosted by the Boston Police.

Murphy has begin training in the field with senior officers. 

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Belmont Dispatcher Ed Hudson at his station.

The next day, Friday, July 1, was Dispatcher Ed Hudson’s last shift with Belmont Police. Hudson is leaving to join the Rye, NH Police Department.