Preventing an intoxicated despondent person from harming herself

Officer Michael Kmiec

            On December 8, 2003, at 1253 hours, Officer M. Kmiec, Officer M. DiMeglio, Officer G. Hagerty, and Sergeant D. Kasle responded to a Newhall Street address on the report of a suicidal female. Upon entering the apartment, the officers were confronted by a female who held a knife to her throat, threatening to stab and slash herself. The officers learned that the woman was despondent over a recent breakup with her boyfriend. She continued to hold the knife, and threatened any officer who attempted to go near her.

            Each officer on the scene tried to communicate with the distraught female, and it was determined that Officer Kmiec had the best rapport with her. At this time, the Ballistic Shield was deployed to the apartment, and a short time later, a request was made to have two Special Weapons Officers dispatched to the scene and have them stand out front, as a precaution.

            Officer Kmiec was allowed to talk to the woman in a side room, with Officer Hagerty and Sergeant Kasle in the doorway, as safety cover officers. Officer Kmiec spoke to her for approximately 50 minutes, in an attempt to convince the distraught individual to drop the knife. She then began making demands for cigarettes and a drink. As a negotiating tool, Sergeant Kasle allowed her to have these items, only if she agreed to drop the knife. After the woman received the requested items, she finally dropped the weapon, which was then retrieved by Officer Kmiec. She was then transported to the hospital for evaluation.

            Officer Kmiec used patience and perseverance as he calmly spoke to an intoxicated and potentially violent individual for almost an hour; finally convincing her to surrender her weapon before she could harm herself or the officers on the scene. Due to the excellent communication skills of Officer Kmiec, it was not necessary to deploy Special Weapons and a crisis worker was not called in to the apartment. 

            Sergeant Kasle quickly responded to the scene, surveyed the situation, requested medical assistance, coordinated the positioning of Special Weapons Officers, and acted as a backup for the negotiating officer. Officer Hagerty also responded quickly, located the subject, and provided backup for his partner, allowing him to concentrate on the task of negotiating with her.                        

Preventing a suicidal and potentially violent person from harming himself

Officer Shawn Hogan
Officer Charles Griffin

            On October 4, 2003, at 1945 hours, Officer C. Griffin and Officer R. Gokas (Car 16) were dispatched to a Lewis Street multi-family dwelling, on a report of a suicidal male, highly agitated and armed with what appeared to be a knife. Sergeant L. Dean also arrived on the scene, along with Officer S. Hogan and Officer M. O’Connell (Car 15).

Sergeant Dean immediately took control of the situation, spoke with Special Weapons Officers Griffin and Hogan, and authorized and deployed the single shot Sage Launcher. This Special Weapon was assigned to Officer Griffin, while Officer Hogan was designated as the primary communicator between the police and the distraught individual. He also spoke to the Division Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Flynn, to update him on the situation.        

Officer Hogan began a dialog with the man, in an attempt to convince him not to harm himself and to drop his weapon, but he continued to hold the weapon, and also continued his threats. Sergeant Dean informed Lynn Control to hold all communications from the airways, and also confirmed that an ambulance had been dispatched. At that point, Officer Vautour (Car 8), Officer M. Hanlon (Car 19) and Officer M. DiMeglio, who had been working a detail nearby, also arrived on the scene to assist.

Sergeant Dean instructed Officer Gokas to enter the building through the rear entrance, and prevent individuals from entering the hallways and stairwells; and also to keep all residents inside their apartments. At the same time, Officer DiMeglio, Officer Hanlon, Officer O’Connell and Officer Vautour were directed to secure the inner and outer perimeters.  Sergeant Dean also contacted Tri City Mental Health for assistance.

Officer Hogan continued to speak to the individual, who became agitated, and turned to enter the vestibule when he observed Officer Gokas in the hallway attempting to clear the area of residents. Out of concern that the potentially violent man would enter the building and harm someone, or take a resident hostage, Officer Griffin used the launcher, striking the individual in the thigh and disabling him. Officers on the scene immediately secured the weapon, and took the man into custody. He was subsequently transported to Union Hospital where he was examined for injury as a result of being struck with the rubber projectile of the launcher, and also evaluated for mental health issues regarding his actions and his threats to harm himself.

            Officer Hogan utilized his skills and training as he patiently maintained a dialog with this distraught individual, and tried to convince him not to harm himself or bystanders on the scene. Officer Griffin used the Sage Launcher with great accuracy, disabling a suicidal and potentially violent person, and allowing him to be taken into custody using the minimum amount of force necessary under the circumstances present. 

Capture and arrest of larceny suspect

Officer Richard Fucci

            In September and October of this year, there were a rash of pocketbook thefts from parked vehicles inside of St. Joseph’s cemetery. These thefts occurred while family member were visiting nearby gravesites. On October 19, 2003, Officer Richard Fucci was off-duty, in Wyoma Square, when he heard a request for any available officer in the vicinity of St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Officer Fucci acknowledged the request, and then received a broadcast that gave a description of a male suspect who had just stolen a pocketbook from an unlocked vehicle inside the cemetery. It was further reported that the suspect was fleeing on foot toward Jenness Street. Officer Fucci set up surveillance on Jenness Street, where he anticipated that the suspect might appear. Approximately one minute later, he observed a male who matched the description of the suspect emerge from the wooded area at the rear of the cemetery. He also noticed that the individual immediately removed a hat from his head, hid it under his jacket, and then quickly walked along Jenness Street, looking around in all directions.

            Officer Fucci approached the suspect, ordered him to the ground, and secured him until other units arrived. A short time later several officers arrived on the scene. After a brief investigation, this individual was positively identified as the male suspect who had stolen the purse from the parked vehicle. He also admitted to Officer Fucci that he had taken the pocketbook. A short time later, all money that had been taken from the victim was returned to her; and the suspect was taken into custody and transported to the police station for booking and further processing. 

Officer Fucci responded to this incident while alone and off-duty. His prompt response and subsequent actions demonstrated his dedication to duty and his utilization of his skills and training. Since the time that the suspect was taken into custody, there have been no other similar pocketbook thefts reported in that section of the city.

Saved the life of the victim at serious automobile accident

Officer Oscar Flores
Officer Michael Kenny
Officer James McIntyre

        On October 25, 2003, at 0522 hours, Officer Oscar Flores (Car 8) was on routine patrol when he encountered a serious car accident at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Erie Street. As Officer Flores was assessing the situation, he observed that there was an individual's arm sticking out from the bottom of the Chevy Tahoe vehicle that had overturned as a result of the collision. Officer Flores immediately radioed for assistance, and was quickly joined by Officer James McIntyre and Officer Michael Kenny (Car 16). With the assistance of some bystanders, the officers were able to lift the truck off of the victim and pull him to safety, as Lynn Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene. The victim was subsequently transported to Salem Hospital, and although was originally listed in critical condition, he survived the accident.

        The immediate response and accurate assessment by Officer Flores, the prompt response to his call for assistance by Officer McIntyre and Officer Kenny, and the subsequent actions of all three of these officers, undoubtedly helped save the life of this seriously injured individual.  

Saved the life of a suicidal individual  

Officer Emmanuel Felix

             On August 3, 2003, at approximately 0113 Hours, Car 16 (Officer E. Felix and Officer R. Avery) was dispatched to an Ingalls Street residence on a report of a disturbance. Upon arrival, the officers discovered that a distraught and intoxicated male had armed himself with a large kitchen knife and was threatening suicide. The individual was standing in the living room, holding the knife to his chest. Officer Felix, who was outside, was able to establish contact with him through an open living room window, while Officer Avery evacuated family members from the apartment.  

Special Weapons were deployed, and Officer T. Leighton, Officer W. Sharpe, and Officer D. Morales took up a position in the kitchen area, adjacent to the living room. The officers learned that a female party was trapped in a room near the suspect and Officer S. Hogan quickly assisted her in escaping out of a window to safety.

Emergency Life-saving Actions

Officer Stephen Haberek 
Officer Michael McHale

             On June 6, 2003, at 0834 Hours, Car 14, (Officer Stephen Haberek and Officer Michael McHale) along with Car 15 (Officer John Folan and Officer Michael Crosby) were dispatched to a Washington Street location on a report of two parties down. Upon their arrival, the officers quickly assessed the situation and determined that the two individuals, one male and one female, were both victims of a heroin overdose. The male was lying on his back in the gutter outside of the building, and the female was slumped over the stairs inside the building. Both individuals were unresponsive and the female appeared to be in respiratory arrest. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic were heavy.

Officer Michael McHale and Officer Michael Crosby moved the male victim to the sidewalk. Officer McHale, a paramedic, then proved rescue breathing for the female victim with the air bag, Officer Haberek, an EMT, did the same for the male victim. The officers were able to maintain the airways for both of the victims until paramedics arrived and provided additional treatment. During this time, Officer Crosby gathered information from witnesses on the scene, and Officer Folan secured the area by shutting down Washington Street with the assistance of Car 16 (Officer William Rogers and Officer John Harkness).

Emergency Life-saving Actions

Officer John Harkness
Officer Stephen Haberek
Officer Michael McHale

             On May 24, 2003, at 0745 Hours, officers were dispatched to Tedesci’s Food Shop on Lewis Street on a report of a woman down. Officer John Harkness was the first to arrive on the scene and discovered a female, thirty-seven years of age, who was not breathing and did not have a pulse. Officer Harkness began chest compressions while a civilian witness, certified in CPR, began artificial respiration. Officer Stephen Haberek and Officer Michael McHale arrived several minutes later, with a defibrillator, which they immediately attached to the unconscious female. They were advised to administer a shock, which brought the victim back with a detectable pulse and labored breathing. The officers continued to monitor the woman’s condition until ambulance personnel arrived on the scene, and transported her to the hospital.

Emergency Life-saving Actions

Officer Peter Alexander
Officer Michael Eddows
Officer Robert Leblanc           

             On May 7, 2003, at 1600 Hours, Officer Michael Eddows and Officer Robert Leblanc (Unit 61) and Officer Peter Alexander (Car 7) responded to the area of the Boston Street Café on a report of a possible drowning. Upon their arrival, they encountered an individual who told them that he saw a woman pull a child out of the Saugus River and run back to one of the yards that was located in Saugus.  The officers immediately drove onto Chestnut Street in Saugus and began looking into the yards. They then observed two women standing over a child in a rear yard at a Chestnut Street location. The officers ran into the yard and found a four-year old child lying on a picnic table, soaking wet, with a bluish complexion, and having difficulty breathing. The child was very cold to the touch, his stomach was extremely distended, and his pulse was weak and rapid. The officers placed the child on his back to help open his airway and to improve his breathing. Officer Leblanc pumped the child’s stomach approximately ten times and placed him in a recovery position, where shortly thereafter, the child vomited brownish colored river water. As the officers were stripping the child of his cold, wet clothing and placing a blanket on him, emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene to continue care.

Capture of armed robbery suspects

Sergeant Eugene Cusack
Sergeant Lucas Dean,
Officer David Fitzgerald 
Officer Domingo Polonia
Officer Thomas Mulvey

             On January 16, 2003, at approximately 1250 Hours, Officer Hines (Car 12) responded to Strawberry’s Records and Tapes on Boston Street, on a report of an armed robbery. Sergeant Cusack also went to the store to help gather information. Sergeant Donald Kasle, Sergeant Philip Tansey, Officer Sean Bagley, Officer Glenn Dunnigan, Officer David Fitzgerald, Officer Gary Hagerty, Officer Michael Kmiec, Officer Thomas Mulvey, Officer Emmanuel Perez, and Officer Domingo Polonia responded to the area to begin a search and canvas of the neighborhood.

During an interview at Strawberry’s, one of the employees provided Sergeant Cusack with the name of a possible suspect. Sergeant Cusack spoke with the male suspect at the scene, and observed some inconsistencies in his story and in his account of his actions. As a result, Officer Fitzgerald and Officer Polonia (Car 16) were assigned to an unmarked vehicle to perform surveillance on the suspect’s residence. Research was also done on the suspect that revealed that he owned a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect vehicle in the recent dozen armed robberies. This information was given to all patrol cars, along with the fact that there were two suspects, and they should be considered armed and dangerous.

At 1534 Hours, the Richdale Food Store on Chestnut Street was robbed at gunpoint. The clerk was able to obtain the license plate number of the vehicle in which the suspects fled. This was the first time of the most recent dozen robberies that a license number was obtained. This number matched the license number of the male suspect in the Strawberry’s robbery who was earlier interviewed by Sergeant Cusack, and this information was then broadcast to all Lynn units. Sergeant Dean, who was off-duty at the time, spotted the suspect vehicle on Marianna Street. He was able to follow the suspect vehicle, which was operating erratically and at a high rate of speed. Sergeant Dean continued to broadcast the location of the vehicle, which seemed to be heading toward the suspect’s residence. Officer Fitzgerald and Officer Polonia blocked in the suspect vehicle, with the assistance of Sergeant Dean, at the corner of Collins Street and Chestnut Street. The officers then executed a Felony Stop, getting both occupants out of the suspect vehicle and onto the ground. Officer Mulvey (Car 8) arrived on the scene and assisted in securing the two defendants. Officer Mulvey recovered a black semi-automatic style B.B. pistol from the suspect’s waistband. Additionally, two black ski marks were found in the suspect vehicle.  

            An on-the-scene identification by the two clerks positively identified the two suspects in custody as the perpetrators of the Richdale robbery. Subsequently, uniformed officers conducted two consent searches at the residences of the two suspects, and additional evidence was recovered, implicating them in more robberies.  A series of interviews by S.I.U. Officers Paul Holey and Richard Fucci resulted in confessions for half a dozen other robberies.

            Sergeant Eugene Cusack demonstrated the highest level of professionalism as he immediately identified a potential suspect and then assigned officers to provide surveillance. Despite the fact that he was off-duty, Sergeant Lucas Dean quickly spotted and then followed the suspect vehicle, while broadcasting this information to all other Lynn units. Officer David Fitzgerald, Officer Domingo Polonia and Officer Thomas Mulvey utilized their training and their skills to swiftly place these armed suspects into custody, with no injury to anyone on the scene. I hereby order that the officers listed above be commended for their actions, with a copy of this commendation to be placed in their personnel files. 

I further order that the following officers receive letters of recognition for their teamwork and professionalism as they assisted in bringing these suspects into custody: Sergeant Donald Kasle, Sergeant Philip Tansey, Officer Sean Bagley, Officer Glenn Dunnigan, Officer Michael Eddows, Officer Stephen Emery, Officer Richard Fucci, Officer Gary Hagerty, Officer David Hines, Officer Paul Holey, Officer Michael Kmiec, Officer Emmanuel Perez, Officer Max Saravia, and Officer Scott Wakeham.

Life-saving Actions

Officer Richard Courtney

            On February 2, 2003, at 1845 hours, Officer Richard Courtney (Car 19) responded to a South Common Street residence on a report of a baby not breathing. Upon his arrival, he discovered a four-year old physically disabled child who was not breathing. Although he obtained only limited information from the child’s father, due to a language barrier, Officer Courtney immediately assessed the situation and determined that the child had an obstructed airway. He quickly placed the child in the recovery position and began administering a series of back blows, at which time several pieces of apple that the child had been eating were dislodged from his throat. The child then began labored breathing. Officer Courtney continued to monitor the child until Lynn Fire/Rescue arrived a short time later. The officer calmly relayed the sequence of events to rescue personnel who were now on the scene to aid the child. Lieutenant Tom Bogart of Lynn Fire/Rescue stated, “Officer Courtney did an excellent job, right by the numbers.”

The prompt response by Officer Courtney, his immediate assessment of the situation and his subsequent actions undoubtedly saved the life of this child. I hereby order that he be commended for his actions.