Photo: Belmont Fire Department headquarters
The Belmont Fire Department invites you to join them for an Open House Event at Fire Department Head Quarters on Saturday, Oct. 28, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The event is free and is sure to be fun. There will be demonstrations, hands-on activities, actual firefighter equipment, and many fire-safety education opportunities. Pizza and soda will also be available.
Photo: James MacIsaac (left) and David DeStefano
Recently, the Belmont Select Board approved merit pay increases for Belmont’s public safety department leaders. Each increase has an effective start date of July 1, 2023.
Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac received a 3 percent bump to his salary as part of his yearly review. The Board scored MacIsaac with an overall score of 4.93 on a scale of 0 to 5, with Board Chair Roy Epstein saying that “he’s a model of a modern police chief bringing a unique balance of experience, calmness, and humor, and to a host of challenges of management issues.”
Board Vice Chair Elizabeth Dionne noted MacIsaac’s “strength in public communication, leadership and tackling difficult issues head-on and is clearly concerned about the well-being of the department including the morale and adequate staffing while delivering effective and proactive public safety for the town.”
“When you hear stories about police departments everywhere in which things go wrong. I think consistently Chief MacIsaac has demonstrated an ability to take on difficult situations and have a positive outcome and avoid trouble,” said Epstein.
“Overall, Chief MacIsaac is a tremendous asset, and he looks forward to serving the community for many years,” he said.
MacIsaac’s annual salary is currently $210,642.79.
Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano saw his pay increase by 2.5 percent to $168,642.79.
“I could not be more happy with the fire chief and his performance,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin of DeStefano’s tenure. “I think the department’s morale has gone up tremendously… and he’s building a great team. He’s instituted ways to make the department more visible in terms of promotions … and he’s always coming up with creative ways to get the fire department more visible into the community.”
Photo: The Labrador Retriever is coming to the Belmont Police Department
Elisabeth and Graham Allison have been benefactors to the town of Belmont and its residents for many years, giving of their time and funds. And in the latest example of their largess, the Belmont Police Department will soon be the home of its first service dog.
At a recent meeting of the Select Board, the Allisons donated $9,525 for the purchase and training of a service animal. Unlike the department’s canine that goes on patrol with an officer, the service dog “will create a less stressful and more welcoming environment,” said Elisabeth Allison.
Elisabeth Allison told the board the donation will allow Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac to follow a trend begun by Middlesex District Attorney and Belmont resident Marion Ryan and that other police departments – including Reading, Maynard, and Tewksbury – have adopted.
“They are praising this program … I did some research, we put together a proposal, and I presented it [the Allisons] and they fully supported it,” said MacIsaac.
The service dog will venture outside the police station “to create a bond with the Belmont Police community, improve our public/police relations, and comfort the community during times of high stress,” said MacIsaac, noting the times a young person or someone in trauma or anxiety have been in the police headquarters for hours, “and it would be very beneficial to have a comfort dog present.”
The support from the board for the new addition to the police force was unanimous. “I’ve really seen how a dog can improve stressful and mental health situations,” said Elizabeth Dionne.
The dog will be arriving in December. And the bred? Why, the Labrador Retriever. Elisabeth Allison – a noted dog lover – said the Lab is often regarded as “the world’s best all-round dog who is ideal for this service.”
Photo: Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac
It’s a second bite at the apple as the Belmont Select Board will be holding a hybrid public meeting on Thursday, Sept. 7, to discuss whether or not the Belmont Police Department should end its relationship with the state’s Civil Service system.
The meeting will occur in the Select Board Conference Room in Town Hall at 7 p.m. Residents can attend via Zoom at this link.
The meeting marks a second attempt to end the police department’s relationship with the government agency designed to provide fairness in the public sector, in entry-level hiring, and promotions, including bypass in rank, demotions, layoffs, and discipline which includes suspensions and terminations.
Supporters of ending civil service, which included town officials, the Select Board, and the leaders of both fire and police departments, believe the town would see significant cost savings by ending a 108-year-old arcane system for hiring and promotions, replacing it with an efficiently run locally-focused practice.
Opponents made up of the rank and file of Belmont Fire and Police and resident supporters said changes to civil service – such as altering age limits and increasing diversity in the number of candidates – can be made by changes to the existing language of the agreement.
The last time the issue came before a Town Meeting, an article removing civil service for Belmont’s Police and Fire departments was withdrawn by the Select Board minutes before it was to be presented before a contentious Special Town Meeting in September 2020.
Since then, issues with Civil Service requirements continue to plague hiring at the Police Department. In 2021, Police Chief James MacIsaac pointed to an inability to fill important entry posts for two years due to the limited number of candidates he could choose from. He also said he could bring a more diverse group of candidates to the hiring process outside of Civil Service.
While more than 130 cities and towns have accepted Civil Service, many communities have recently ended their relationship, including Lexington in 2019.
Photo: Protests over the murder of Henry Tapia in January 2021
A Middlesex County jury on Monday found Hudson resident Dean Kapsalis guilty of the racially-motivated murder of Henry Tapia during a road rage incident on Upland Road in Belmont more than two years ago, according to a press release from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Kapsalis, 56, was convicted of shouting a racial insult at Tapia, a 34-year-old man of color, before hitting him with a Dodge Dakota truck, running him over and killing him. While a Boston resident, Tapia was living with his partner and son in Belmont.
The jury’s verdict, announced on Monday, May 1 after two weeks of testimony and three days of deliberation, found Kapsalis guilty of second degree murder, violation of constitutional rights causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery by means of dangerous weapon (motor vehicle) causing serious bodily injury, and leaving the scene after causing injury.
Kapsalis will be held without bail until sentencing by Associate Justice of the Superior Court David Deakin on June 27, 2023.
“The murder of Henry Tapia is a senseless tragedy fueled by hate and anger. The fact that some of the last words Henry Tapia heard were a horrific racial insult meant to intimidate and threaten him based on the color of his skin is something we cannot tolerate,” said Ryan at a press conference with Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac after the verdict was rendered. Tapia’s death lead to local protests and ongoing conversations on racial bias in Belmont.
On Jan. 19, 2021, around 4:22 p.m., Belmont Police received a 911 call reporting that a man had been struck by a car in the area of 39-45 Upland Road. Police immediately responded and located Tapia conscious but suffering from life-threatening injuries. First responders provided emergency assistance until Belmont Rescue arrived on the scene. Tapia was transported from the scene to Massachusetts General Hospital where he later died from his injuries.
The subsequent investigation by Belmont and State Police revealed Kapsalis and Tapia had engaged in a verbal altercation on Upland Road. That argument wound down but as Tapia began to walk back toward his car, Kapsalis hurled a racial slur at him and then got into his pickup truck and drove it at Tapia, striking him and dragging him a short distance before Kapsalis fled the scene. He later turned himself in to police. At trial, the defense argued Tapia’s death was an accident.
“What is significant about today’s verdict is that when we have incidents in Middlesex County motivated by bigotry and racism, that hatred will not be treated as a background fact. It will be charged and prosecuted separately. Although nothing that happens in Court can return Mr. Tapia to his grieving family, today’s convictions send a strong signal that those who commit hate fueled violence in this county will be held fully accountable,” said Ryan.
Photo: A close call whether this vehicle is impeding sidewalk travel
For the first time in more than a decade, most parking ticket fines are increasing, going up $10 to $25 after a vote by the Select Board on Monday, April 11. But it could take a while before scofflaws hand over the higher fine.
The hike in the parking penalties came as part of a presentation of a citizens’ petition that will come before Town Meeting on May 3.
Town Meeting Member Gi Yoon-Huang of Winn Street (Precinct 8) told the Board of a safety issue involving vehicles that jut out of driveways and block the sidewalk. She said in her precinct, this is forcing children and parents heading to the Winn Brook School to enter the street to go around them.
She was spurred to launch this effort after speaking to a resident who uses a walker and fell attempting to move past a car blocking the sidewalk.
Yoon-Huang said while police would respond quickly to calls and the owners eventually move their vehicles, “it would often be a repeat offender … and it took us years to have this one street cleared.”
“The main goal [of the petition] is to bring awareness that this is a problem, but also to further clarify it further,” said Yoon-Huang.
Her petition would also increase the parking fine for this offense – after a first warning – which will increase with each infraction; a second ticket would be $50 and a third and more at $100. The petition would require stepped up communication with residents on the new bylaw.
“This is to help improve safety for everyone,” said Yoon-Huang, who has agreed to make a presentation before Town Meeting at which time the town will adopt the bylaw provisions into the existing parking regulations. Her petition will then be tabled, and a motion to dismiss will be presented to Town Meeting.
Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac said his department actively targets any vehicle that is an obstruction, including those crammed into driveways to avoid violating the town’s 60-year-old overnight parking ban enforced between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.
“So they have a choice to make. They leave the car out at night, and they absolutely get a ticket, or they squeeze it in the driveway. An officer working the midnight shift is not going to probably tag those cars in the drive way as they are making an effort to be off the street,” said MacIsaac.
But for a group of residents, the current $15 fine isn’t much of a deterrent. “Some people pay them and just go on violating it,” he said, noting the last time Belmont increased ticket fees was 2005, and before that, in the 1980s.
A few parking violations have unique penalties, such as parking at an MBTA bus stop which is $100, and $50 for stopping in a designated bike lane.
MacIsaac noted that during his nearly quarter century in law enforcement, residents’ first and overriding complaint about his department is parking tickets. “I’ve been people get ten times more upset getting a $15 parking ticket than a $200 speeding ticket.” The chief said officers issue an average of 28 parking tickets daily, of which eight to nine are overnight violations.
MacIsaac said that of the two sections of state law (MGL 9020) governing traffic citations, Belmont adopted the one where most tickets top out at $25. He said creating a unique violation with an increasing fee would run counter to state law. If the town wants to raise ticket fees, it should adopt the other section of the ticketing law – which only Boston and Cambridge have adopted – under which Belmont can jack up parking ticket fees to $60.
“I actually think that the dollar fine would really spur good behavior,” said Elizabeth Dionne on her first meeting as a board member. “I think $20 is not that significant. I think $50 and $100. The goal is never to collect the money. The goal is to have clear sidewalks.”
Board member Roy Epstein believes that “it’s not necessary to jump to a very high fine right away” to force compliance; instead using the existing enforcement options available to the town. He said under the current traffic citation law, the police can return to towing vehicles (suspended during COVID) for someone with a significant number of tickets as well as “boot” vehicles “just to let them know that we are serious about this.”
While not wanting to impose a significant increase in the parking fee structure, Epstein said it was time to bring these penalties to a more realistic level.
“I think its time to increase all of the $15 to $20 because of 20 years of inflation,” said Epstein, with Dionne suggesting upping it to $25.
The discussion then proceeded to whether the town needed to include vehicles as an “obstruction” impeding pedestrian travel on a sidewalk. Town Moderator Patrice Garvin said town bylaws already call for action on any “obstruction,” whether it’s a car, shrubbery, or snow.
Rather than bringing complicated issues on enforcement before the 290-member Town Meeting, Paolillo said the board would “combine the spirit of some of the things [in the citizens’ petition] into our parking regulations and increase our fines. I think that goes a long way to address the concerns of the petitioners.”
While the board quickly passed the new $25 parking fine, there will be some leeway before the bylaw goes into effect. MacIsaac said the department will need to finish the existing supply of ticket books with the old fine before ordering a new batch with the $25 fee.
Photo: The impacted area of Goden Street
An emergency repair to a faulty sewer line will require a portion of Goden Street to be closed to vehicle traffic starting at 7 a.m., Friday, March 24, according to Belmont Police.
The closure, from School Street to Concord Avenue, will impact travel to Belmont High School as Goden Street enters the intersection with Concord that leads to the school’s parking and entrance.
Photo: BPD Lt. Christopher Donahue (left) being sworn in as a captain by Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman at Police HQ
The Belmont Police Department promoted Lt. Christopher Donahue to captain on Thursday, Feb. 23, when Town Clerk Ellen Cushman swore in Donahue at Police Headquarters.
“I want to congratulate Capt. Donahue on his well-deserved promotion,” said Belmont Police Chief James Maclsaac. “Throughout his career, Capt. Donahue has shown unwavering dedication to the Belmont Police Department, and I am confident he will excel in his newly appointed role.”
Donahue has been a member of the Belmont Police Department for 27 years, serving in various capacities, beginning his career in 1996 as a patrol officer. In 2000, Capt. Donahue was promoted to sergeant, where he helped the department for four years before his appointment to lieutenant in 2004. In 2020, Donahue was assigned as the Officer in Charge of the department’s Detective Division.
Donahue also graduated from the elite law enforcement leadership program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.
Donahue has received numerous awards and commendations over his career including the Chief’s commendation 2011 and the Sept. 11 Award, presented by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office for his work with high-risk domestic violence cases. The award is presented annually to one or more first responders or investigators for demonstrating extraordinary courage, bravery and/or selflessness in a way that is reminiscent of first responders who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Photo: From left, Belmont Police Officer Marco D’Andrea receiving a Lifesaving Award from Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac for his heroic efforts on Thursday, Feb. 9. (Photo courtesy of the Belmont Police Department)
Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac awarded BPD Officer Marco D’Andrea the department’s Lifesaving Award on Feb. 15 following his actions during a sporting event while he was off duty.
“Our officers are sworn to protect and serve, and that commitment extends beyond their time in uniform, as Officer D’Andrea showed,” said MacIsaac who presented
D’Andrea was recognized for his actions that occurred on Thursday, Feb. 9. While off-duty at a soccer match in Belmont High School’s Wenner Field House, D’Andrea acted to assist a fellow player who suffered a medical emergency.
The 62-year-old man, who wishes to remain anonymous, collapsed while participating in the soccer match. D’Andrea took immediate action by ensuring Belmont EMS was called before beginning to perform CPR. He instructed a bystander with retrieving an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and used it on the patient.
After the AED was used, the patient regained consciousness. On-duty first responders arrived on the scene and provided additional care until Belmont firefighters arrived and transported the man to a hospital.
“We are all proud of his quick thinking and calm actions, and grateful that an AED was available as a resource, which helped save the life of a fellow participant that day,” said MacIsaac.
Photo: A two-alarm heavily damaged a Belmont Street house on Feb. 15.
A two-alarm blaze heavily damaged a Belmont Street residential property on Wednesday evening, Feb. 15.
Fire crews were dispatched after a 911 call came in at 8:43 p.m., according to a press release issued by Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano. When crews arrived, heavy fire was coming from a top-floor window. The incident commander immediately struck a second alarm.
Firefighters from Cambridge, Watertown, Waltham, and Arlington provided mutual aid at the fire. Station coverage was provided by Lexington and Somerville.
The fire was brought under control around 10 p.m. There were no injuries. The American Red Cross assisted the five tenants displaced by the fire.
The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation by the Belmont Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.