2004 AR | Return To The Current Annual Report |

2004 Annual Report
I herewith respectfully submit the Annual Report for the Nahant Police Department for the year ending December 31, 2004.

The year 2004 was another extremely busy for this department. Calls for service continue to increase every year.

Personnel:
This year Clerk/Dispatcher, Ellie Foley resigned after 14 years of loyal and faithful service to this department. We all wish her many sunny days enjoying Nahant’s Beautiful Beaches. Officer Peter Sherber resigned to join the State Police, we all wish him well in his new endeavor. Keith O’Brien a resident of Nahant was hired to replace officer Sherber. Officer O’Brien was hired from our established list. He was the top scorer in addition to being the most qualified. At the time of his appointment he was working full time for Tufts University Police Department. Officer O’Brien was Academy Trained and Certified, saving the Town a considerable sum in training expenses. I am very pleased to welcome him onboard. I know he will be a valuable asset to this department.

Training and Programs :
This past year Officer Michael Waters attended and graduated from a forty hour “Child Seat Belt Technician Course”. Anyone desiring professional installation of a child motor vehicle seat is urged to contact the department for an appointment. Our full time officers receive annual training and recertification from the Municipal Police Training Committee at Reading. The past several years have seen the development of a more comprehensive training program for our Reserve Officers. Most of this training is done in house under the supervision our Field Training Officers, Sergeant Manley and Officer Waters. We are also fortunate to be able to retain our LETN (Law Enforcement Television Network) thanks to continued grant funding from the Executive Office Of Public Safety. As in the past our officers continue to be recertified EMT’s.

Grants:
As stated in past years grant programs have been drastically cut back or in some cases eliminated. We again were very fortunate to receive a” Community Policing Grant” from the Executive Office Of Public Safety in the amount of $61,750.00. We also received a Bureau Justice Assistance/Department Of Justice vest grant of $3,345.00.

This year we also took delivery of a “state of the art” identification system known of AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System). This system allows for the immediate capturing and transmittal of finger prints and compares them with the Federal and State databases resulting in automatic hits of wanted individuals. This system has already resulted in the arrest of several fugitives from justice from other States and jurisdictions.

We were also pleased to obtain a new computerized system for quickly processing on line Firearm License To Carry and FID cards. This system allows for the electronic processing of data, photographs and fingerprints. Greatly speeding up the accuracy and time required for issuing permits.

We also received a $3,500.00 grant from the Commonwealth for an additional AED (Automatic Electronic Defibrillator). All police cruisers in addition to the station now have these life saving devices readily available.

The department also received $2190.21 in asset seizure forfeiture as a result of a joint effort on a criminal enterprise from the U.S. Department Of Justice.

If you look at the Police Department Reports over the last five years you will see that our philosophy of actively seeking out and applying for grants has paid handsome dividends. Although very time consuming and difficult to obtain and manage it has been well worth the effort. This department now possesses some of the finest and latest technological law enforcement equipment available and all at no cost to the taxpayers of Nahant.

We will continue to actively pursue any available outside funding sources.

Website:
I would again invite all residents to review our website. It contains a wealth of information that I believe is very interesting and always changing and being updated. While there please take a moment and submit your answers to our “Community Survey”. We again are deeply indebted to, Robert Wilson at Collage Works for his outstanding work and design on our behalf. It should also be noted that Internet Access, e-Mail and our presence on Web are made possible in part by grant funding from EOPS.

A new webpage has been added to assist those interested in a Law Enforcement Career with our department. The same information will be found at the end of this report.

Building and Equipment:
The building is in good condition with no major repairs or renovations planned. One caveat however, this building is well over 100 years old and was never designed as a police station. As mentioned last year thought should be given to a replacement structure to avoid the pitfalls of last minute crisis planning. You will continue to see the previous italicized sentence in every report I submit. Let’s not get caught short when the time arrives!

As in the past we will be asking for a replacement cruiser in 2005. This will continue the cycle of timely vehicle replacement, allowing for much greater trade in value and keeping our officers in safe vehicles.

Community Policing Initiatives:
Thanks to State Funding we have not had to cut any of our programs that were developed as a result of these funds being made available.

Park and Walk program, Are You Okay Program (which has also continues to be available to the Swampscott Police Department at no cost to that municipality), RAD courses run by Officer Stephen Shultz, which are always well received by the ladies that participate.

The “Neighborhood & Waterfront Crime Watch Programs” are beginning to generate interest after a low level of initial participation by the citizenry. I would strongly recommend that if you or neighborhood is interested contacting Crime Watch Officer Conti. Officer Conti is always available to your group or organization. I urge you to become more involved in YOUR community.

As this report is written I’m waiting for approval for State Funding to enable the department to purchase an “Incident Command Vehicle”. This vehicle will be four wheel drive and equipped with state of the art communications equipment and will be put to use in the event of a natural or man made disaster. This would allow for one vehicle to communicate with all Federal, State and Local Agencies in the event of crisis and serve as a mobile command post.

There are numerous other violation categories. Any resident desiring additional information can contact the records section, M-F 8AM-4PM.

Interested In Law Enforcement As A Career?

The Nahant Police Department is a modern, progressive, innovative department and committed to the Philosophy Of Community Policing.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement the following information is provided so that you may have a better understanding on how to become a Nahant Police Officer.

Reserve Officer;
In order to be considered for appointment as a Reserve Police Officer you must have attended and graduated from a Municipal Police Training Committee Academy basic course for reserve police officers. The ideal candidates will also posses E911 dispatcher training and First Responder or EMT certification and hold a valid Massachusetts drivers license. If you lack the M unicipal Police Training Committee Academy basic course for reserve police officers, the Nahant Police Department will consider sponsoring you to allow you to attend the academy. In order to be sponsored the candidate must be interviewed by the Chief, furnish three references and be able to pass a comprehensive background check. A sponsored candidate must be responsible for his/her own training academy expenses as well a sign a waiver of liability releasing the Town Of Nahant from any and all claims as a result of injury or accident related to academy attendance.

Full Time Officer;
Must take and successfully pass a competitive examination. The examination is held once every three years and the passing candidates remain eligible for appointment during that period. The next exam will be held in the Spring of 2006. The ideal candidate for full time employment shall have completed a Municipal Police Training Committee Full Time Academy. Equivalent academies from other states will be considered if they are approved by the Committee . The ideal candidate shall also be E911 certified and EMT/D certified and hold a valid Massachusetts drivers license. The candidate must furnish three references preferably from the law enforcement field and must undergo a comprehensive background check. Notice of examination date will be posted at www.nahantpolice.org as well as being published in the local newspapers.

Special Notice Concerning Telephone Solicitation:
T he Nahant Police Department does not endorse or sponsor any telephone solicitations. Any organization purporting to be raising funds on our behalf or the behalf of any Police group should be considered with suspicion.

Please contact the Nahant Police Department or the Massachusetts Attorney General should you be solicited.

Racial Profiling Notice:
If you believe that you were stopped by a Nahant Police Officer because of your race or gender, you may report the incident by calling the Nahant Police Department at 781-581-1212 or by calling this toll free number: 1-866-6RACIAL (1-866-672-2425). For more information, visit the Executive Office Of Public Safety Racial And Gender Profiling Hotline page. http://www.state.ma.us/eops/hotline.htm

In Conclusion:
I would again like to take this opportunity to thank the Board Of Selectmen, the Town Administrator Mark Cullinan; Town Accountant Deborah Cormier, Treasurer Nancy Locke, Town Clerk Harriet Steeves, Administrative Assistants Sue Behen and Katie Costin in the Selectmen’s Office and the entire Town Hall staff and all other Departments, Committees and Boards for their assistance during the past year.

I would like to thank our legislators, Senator McGee & Representative Walsh for their assistance through out the year with both legislative and fiscal matters.

Additionally I would like to thank all the personnel in this department for their unselfish dedication and loyalty to duty to the department and the town. Special thanks to Secretary/Clerk Roz Puleo for all the many duties she handles throughout the year.

Sincerely,

William F. Waters
Chief Of Police