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Tag: chelmsford police

  • Threat discovered on bathroom wall at Chelmsford High

    Threat discovered on bathroom wall at Chelmsford High

    CHELMSFORD — Police will increase their presence at Chelmsford High School this coming week after a threat was discovered written on a student bathroom wall on Friday morning.

    The threat on the wall comes a day after school officials received information about a student who allegedly wanted to harm the school community. In both instances, investigations determined the threats were not credible.

    In a message to the Chelmsford community on Friday, Principal Stephen Murray stated that the investigation into the threat found on the bathroom wall, which included “a threat of future harm” to the school, is ongoing. However, since there was no immediate threat to the school community, he added “students remained on their current class schedule, and it was business as usual.”

    “At the end of the school day,” Murray said, “I made an announcement to our school community to inform them about the situation, that we were taking steps to investigate the incident, and how they could help by contacting an adult in the building if they have any information. I also reminded the school community about the importance of safety and security and commended the students who came forward quickly to alert our administration of this future threat. When speaking with your children, I ask that you please support our ‘See Something, Say Something’ message to help us in keeping Chelmsford High School safe for all.”

    Murray reiterated that authorities “have not found evidence that lends any validity to the threat.”

    “You may have noticed a police presence at the school drop-off this morning,” Murray added. “We partner closely with the Chelmsford Police Department to keep our schools safe, and you will also notice an increase in police presence at our school next week, similar to how they supported us today with that presence. We appreciate and are grateful for the partnership with the Chelmsford Police Department to keep our school community safe.”

    Murray also released a note to the public on Thursday after school officials learned “about a student allegedly wanting to harm our school community.”

    In the note, Murray emphasized that each threat is taken seriously. As he did following Friday’s discovery, Murray stated that the Chelmsford Police were contacted and conducted an investigation, ultimately determining there was no credible threat.

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    Aaron Curtis

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  • The Five Minute Read

    The Five Minute Read

    Tow company recognized

    CHELMSFORD — On Monday, March 11, the Chelmsford Police Department K-9 Unit recognized Christopher Ferreira, owner of Christopher’s Towing, with a certificate of achievement from the U.S. Police Canine Association.

    For the past 10 years, Christopher’s Towing has provided vehicles for K-9 officers and their partners to help facilitate search training and K-9 certifications.

    “Christopher’s Towing has been a great community partner and extremely supportive of our K-9 Unit,” Police Chief Colin Spence said in a statement. “In addition, Christopher’s Towing has supported various charitable organizations supported by the police department.”

    FEMA grant to Lowell General Hospital

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a $5,515,683 public assistance grant to Massachusetts to reimburse Lowell General Hospital — part of the Tufts Medicine health system — for the cost of hiring temporary nursing staff and some administrative costs incurred responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Lowell General Hospital with these costs,” FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich said in a statement. “Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”

    Mill Girls exhibit/discussion

    LOWELL — Join park rangers for “A Century Apart: Mill Girls and Working Women in Lowell,” on Sunday, March 24, from 2 to 2:45 p.m., at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center, 246 Market St.

    The free tour is open to all and the presentation will explore Mill Girl life in the 1840s and the lives of women workers during the 1940s in Lowell.

    Free parking is available at 350 Dutton St. in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District Parking Garage. Pick up a parking voucher at the visitor center’s front desk to use when exiting the garage. For information, call 978-970-5000.

    Police and fire recruitment session

    LOWELL — The city of Lowell, in partnership with MassHire, will host a fire and police recruitment information session on Tuesday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, and 2 to 4 p.m., at the MassHire Lowell Career Center, 107 Merrimack St.

    The session will include meet-and-greets with current staff members, information on the hiring and civil exam process, and learning about the benefits and challenges of working as a police officer or firefighter.

    To register, visit masshirelowellcc.com/lowellwork. For information, call 978-458-2503.

    Indoor farm market at Mill No. 5

    LOWELL — The indoor farm market at Mill No. 5 takes place Sunday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 250 Jackson St. The market operates year-round indoors and provides a direct connection between local food producers and consumers. Frequent vendors include Grateful Tastes of Lowell, Nallie Pastures Farm of Dracut, Little Crumby Bakeshop of Haverhill and pop-up vendors such as Craic Sauce, Blisspoint Meadery and Mocha Connection. Parking is available at the Early Garage, 135 Middlesex St. For information, visit millno5.com, call 978-656-1828 or email farm@millno5.com.

    Melanie Gilbert

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  • New co-response clinician welcomed by Tewksbury PD

    New co-response clinician welcomed by Tewksbury PD

    TEWKSBURY — The Tewksbury Police Department recently welcomed a new co-response mental health clinician to the Behavioral Health Unit Police Collaborative.

    In her role, Amanda Grant will respond alongside Tewksbury police to mental health emergencies and crises, and will work with individuals after crises to ensure they have access to appropriate services.

    “I have family members in the policing profession, so the opportunity to collaborate with dedicated and hard-working law enforcement professionals is a privilege which I am very excited about,” Grant said.

    Grant, who grew up in West Roxbury, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMass Boston, and a master’s degree in psychology from William James College.

    Grant succeeds a former co-response clinician who recently left the unit, according to police. She will work primarily with the Tewksbury Police Department.

    The Behavioral Health Unit Police Collaborative, funded by a grant from the state Department of Mental Health, provides member departments with access to a co-response clinician who can respond to active calls for service, and follow up with individuals post-crisis. The clinicians can also make referrals to community-based services, such as for non-acute levels of care and case management.

    Fully embedded into each department, police said the program provides a trauma-informed, highly-trained co-response clinician for individuals experiencing mental health or substance use crisis.

    Since 2016, the Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, and Tyngsboro police departments have worked to create a regional mental health collaborative aimed at diverting individuals with mental health and substance misuse disorders from being unnecessarily processed through the criminal justice system or through emergency rooms.

    In addition to on-scene responses, clinicians are accessible 24/7 to police for mental health consultation, and available to community members for follow-ups with police.

    For more about the Behavioral Health Unit, visit tewksburypolice.com/behavioral-health-unit.

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    Aaron Curtis

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  • Tewksbury PD lands highly sought certification for first time

    Tewksbury PD lands highly sought certification for first time

    A pair of area police departments announced they have achieved state certification from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, including the Tewksbury Police, which earned accreditation for the first time in the department’s history.

    “This is a tremendous accomplishment for the Tewksbury Police Department, and I am proud of everyone in the department who contributed,” Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said. “We now intend to maintain accreditation and the high standards it requires us to meet. This accomplishment will go a long way to ensuring the continued professionalism and competency of law enforcement, and reinforcing the trust we have with our community.”

    MPAC notified the Tewksbury Police on Wednesday about the accreditation, the gold standard in police accountability.

    The Chelmsford Police Department was also advised by MPAC on Wednesday that they had earned reaccreditation. The department was first accredited in 2012, and must renew its accreditation every three years.

    “We are proud to have earned re-accreditation from MPAC, which shows that the Chelmsford Police Department continues to meet the highest standards in law enforcement in Massachusetts,” Police Chief Colin Spence said. “I would like to thank all police department employees for their constant support of our department’s important initiatives. I also want to thank Lt. Jason Hanscom and Administrative Assistant Melissa Nolan for leading our efforts to earn reaccreditation.”

    Accreditation is a self-initiated, lengthy, and comprehensive evaluation process. Participating departments complete an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts.

    The process is a voluntary evaluation by which departments strive to meet and maintain the top standards of law enforcement. It is considered the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the established best practices around the country and region.

    MPAC assessed the Tewksbury Police on 128 mandatory standards and 120 optional standards. The department met all mandatory standards and 74 optional standards.

    The Chelmsford Police were assessed by MPAC on 256 mandatory standards and 120 optional standards, and met all mandatory standards and 79 of the optional standards.

    The standards reflect critical areas of police management, operations and technical support activities. They cover areas such as jurisdiction and mutual aid, collection and preservation of evidence, communications, work conditions, crime analysis, community involvement, financial management, internal affairs, juvenile operations, patrol administration, public information, records, training, traffic, drug enforcement and victim/witness assistance.

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    Aaron Curtis

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