Select Board OKs New Three-Year Contract For Belmont Police Chief MacIsaac

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Photo: Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac

The Belmont Select Board approved a new three-year contract for Belmont Police Department Chief James MacIsaac at its virtual meeting on Monday, Jan. 22.

According to Kelly King, the town’s Human Resources Director, MacIsaac’s new base annual salary will increase to $225,000 when the new contract begins on Jan. 1, 2025, and runs through Dec. 31, 2027.

King said MacIsaac is eligible for a cost of living adjustment (COLA) and a merit-based increase on July 1 of each contract year.

According to Roy Epstein, the select board chair, MacIsaac’s new salary “is certainly in the middle” of police chiefs salary range of comparable communities. “We believe it is reasonable,” he said.

Belmont Police To Obtain Service Dog Through Largess Of The Allisons.

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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.”

Guilty Verdict In Henry Tapia Murder Case: ‘A Senseless Tragedy Fueled By Hate And Anger’

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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.