Franklin Police Department: FY 2012
Report from the Office of The Chief of Police
It has been just over 8 months now since I had the good fortune of being sworn in as Police Chief for the Town of Franklin. I thank Town Administrator Jeff Nutting and the members of the Franklin Town Council for allowing me this opportunity to serve you, our community. I could never have imagined in 1978, the year I began my police service for the Town, that I would one day be seated in this office. I think back to the 1960’s and 70’s growing up in Franklin and graduating from FHS Class of ‘72’. We were the first senior class to graduate from the then “new” Franklin High School. Well, Franklin will now have another “new” High School; a necessity that will surely benefit the youthful and older citizens of Franklin for many years to come. Doesn’t it sometimes seem these times were so very long ago? Don’t you find yourself asking “where has all the time gone?” I know I do. To those of you who can identify with me, stop and think. We have seen this Town grow by leaps and bounds. No longer is Franklin considered a small bedroom community of fewer than 15,000. We are now pushing a population of 33,000. At one time we all knew our neighbors and our neighbors knew us. We willingly and easily kept an eye out for one another. When I started we had 21 police officers, I was number 21.
We now have 44 and I would like to add more. If I remember correctly there were 7 police cars, we now have 23 plus two motorcycle units. All of my predecessors from years past would have a difficult time understanding all of the changes in the Town and the nature of police work as it is now. Police work is much more complex than it was years back and because of that we have continued to strive to better educate our police officers so that they can better serve you, the Town and the public at large. Franklin was once considered to be “in the country”. People not from around here would ask you “where is Franklin?” Well, all of us who call Franklin home now know that we are definitely on the map.
In my 34 years of police service for the Town of Franklin I have yet to tire of it. Yes, there are still good and bad days, but as a rule I look forward to going to work each and every day. I enjoy the interaction I have with our police officers and civilian employees, people whom I personally consider as friends and you, the community which we serve. In this, my first year as your Chief of Police I want to thank all of you for making Franklin a safe and secure place to live and raise our families. It is my sincere hope that this trend among our citizenry will continue for many years to come.
Respectfully,
Stephan H. Semerjian
Chief of Police
Franklin Police Department: Safety Division - FY 2012
The Safety Division is comprised of four Community Service Officers. They are tasked with developing citizen/police partnerships, with the understanding that the Police alone are never the answer to community problems. The Safety Division’s goal is to make the Town of Franklin a safer community for two of our most valued resources; our elderly and our children populations. With programs such as D.A.R.E., Summer Camps, Bowling Nights, Halloween Festival, Child and Infant Safety Seat Installations, Project Lifesaver and Bingo events at the Senior Center, we are constantly striving to strengthen the ties between our citizens and its Police Department.
The Safety Division was also the recipient a grant issued by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The grant was a Pedestrian Safety Crosswalk Enforcement grant in the sum of $7,493.00.
This report is a general summarization of the many tasks the Franklin Police Department Safety Division provides. These figures do not reflect the totality of the functions this Division encounters.
Safety Talks 140
Summer Camps 2
Traffic/Safety Issues 350
Elder Affairs 65
School Assistance Calls 822
Child Safety Seat Installations 220
Respectfully,
Christopher Spillane, Sergeant
Donald MacLean
James Mucciarone
Eric Cusson
Franklin Police Department: Detective Division - FY 2012
The Detective Division consists of six detective investigators and one court prosecutor. A detective sergeant and one detective are assigned to the day watch as well as one each to the evening watch. These four detectives are responsible for the day to day investigations required of the Franklin Police Department. Detective cases can be received in a number of different ways by the police department. Examples would be a patrol call for service in which the responding officer forwards a detailed narrative for follow-up investigation; other police sources, phone calls, letters, direct conversation and/or anonymous information from any number of sources which provide information directly to detectives. Our two remaining detective patrolman are assigned to high impact and drug investigations. Their work hours are fluid and are dictated by the nature of the investigation(s) they are involved in. These two detectives work cooperatively on a regular basis with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies thus allowing for mutual sharing and cooperation, and a broader range of enforcement by breaking down the jurisdictional
barriers which limit effective law enforcement work. The court prosecutor is responsible for the administration of criminal court cases and works hand in hand with the Assistant District Attorneys assigned to the Court on a daily basis ensuring that the resolution of criminal cases are in the best interests of the Town of Franklin and the victims of crime.
Respectfully,
James A. Mill, Detective Sergeant
Lee A. Drake, Detective Sergeant
Detectives Michael Kenney, Timothy Nagle,
Christopher Baker, Eric Copeland
Jason Reilly, Court Prosecutor
COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT
The CMVE Unit consists of two highly trained uniformed patrol officers who have expertise in the weights and necessary safety components of over-the-road commercial truck vehicles. These officers are charged with random safety checks and inspections of commercial vehicles that travel the roadways in the Town. Their main purpose and function is to ensure trucking industry compliance with all state and federal laws making motor vehicle and pedestrian travel safe for everyone. You may notice them set up in locations from time to time in Unit 620, the department Ford F-250 pick-up truck which has been specially outfitted for this purpose by Franklin Police Department Officers. The CMVE Unit is manned by: Patrolmen Joseph MacLean and Douglas Nix
Franklin Police Department: Uniform Division - FY 2012
The Uniform Patrol Division is the largest and most visible division within the police department. Officers assigned to patrol are responsible for answering calls for service, responding to emergencies, and also enforcing the traffic laws. They also respond to motor vehicle accidents, alarms, disturbances and any other call from a citizen for assistance.
The Uniform Division has specialized units to include a canine unit, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, whose mission is to ensure the safe operation of commercial vehicles within the Town of Franklin, while reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks, a Safety/DARE Division and Detective Unit.
This past fiscal year officers issued 2184 traffic citations with 2727 charges, ranging from red light violations to operating a
motor vehicle with a suspended license to crosswalk violations.
Our officers responded to 731 motor vehicle accidents, 92 with injuries and 639 without injuries.
The prosecutor’s office handled 323 arrests and 376 criminal complaints.
This report is a summary of what the Department has encountered during this past year.
Respectfully,
Thomas J Lynch
Franklin Police Department: Communications Division
An integral part of the Franklin Police Department, the Communications Division, consisting of five full time and two part time civilian dispatchers, acts as the liaison between the public and various divisions throughout the Police Department. The dispatchers are responsible for answering 911 calls, business calls, officers requiring assistance/information, assisting the public walking into our lobby and maintaining an electronic record of all activity twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year.
This past fiscal year our dispatchers kept busy processing 5142 emergency 911 calls, 80,593 business line calls and 69,239 radio transmissions. They also made 28,535 entries into our computer aided dispatch/records management computer systems.
We have several methods for residents to stay informed and track what your Police Department is doing. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Visit our website to sign up for our reverse 911 service, called Connect-CTY, or sign up for our email list.
If you have an emergency any time, day or night, and call 911, rest assured you will be connected to a professional well trained dispatcher ready to assist you.
Respectfully,
Gary M Premo
Communications Director
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Additional information on the Police Dept can be found on the Franklin webpage
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Police/index
Published by the Town Clerk, this comes from the 2012 Annual Report
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/
