To the residents of Foxborough, I am pleased to represent the exceptional officers and civilian staff of the Foxborough Police Department as we present the agency’s 2005 Annual Report. While our population has grown slightly and our calls for service have grown significantly (4.4%), serious crime has remained static, while thefts from automobiles and residential burglary remain a concern within the community. Although there has been an increase in the number of traffic collisions, the patrol division has been using educational and enforcement approaches which should reduce crashes in the future. By working with residents, other law enforcement agencies, other town departments, we strive to establish a unified approach to problem solving and to deliver service in a professional and cost effective manner.
I am confident that by working together, we can
ensure that the police department and our community is prepared for the
challenges of the future.
CRIME
We had a slight increase in serious crime over the past year as reflected in the FBI uniform crime report. Officers conducted investigations into 1932 incidents, which were criminal in nature.
UNIFORM CRIME/SERIOUS FELONIES
2003 2004 2005
Homicide 0
0 0
Rape 5 13 9
Robbery 3 5 3
Aggravated
Assault 31 37 38
Burglary 55 41 57
Larceny 93 101 90
Motor
Vehicle
Theft 12 11 18
TOTAL 199
208 215
In our analysis the busiest months from
investigations were in September and January, while May and December had the
fewest criminal incidents.
The bulk of our serious investigations fall on our
detective unit: Sergeant John Hannon and Detective Thomas Kirrane. Not only do they conduct follow-up
investigations of initial actions of the patrol force; they also conduct
investigations that they iniate on their own – involving sexual assaults;
financial
crimes, and drug investigations. Both our investigators are dedicated staff
members, but they are being inundated with complex cases that require
significant time efforts. At one point
we had a Sergeant and three Detectives.
The cases we have require close cooperative effort with various levels
of law enforcement, as well as with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s
office. It is critical that we start
re-staffing this aspect of the agency.
As a result of investigations, 482 individuals were
arrested for criminal offences, and 231 were taken into protective custody
(alcohol impairment). An additional 211
people were summonsed into District Court to face criminal charges.
Arrest Chart
Rape
1 Larceny 7
Robbery 1 Sim
Assault 54
Agg
Assault 26 Financial
6
Burglary 7 Drugs 75
OUI 48 Other 98
Juvenile Arrests
Drugs 16 Vandalism 6
Agg
Assault 2 Liquor Laws
5
Larceny 3 OUI 2
The increase in home burglaries is of great
concern. Although we can provide prompt
response and some intervention with assertive field tactics, protecting ones
home falls on the owner. The institute
of crime science have studied home burglaries around the nation, and found most
burglars are looking for property that is “CRAVED”, concealable, removable,
available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable. Security experts indicate that the following can reduce your
burglary risk: deadbolt locks on front
and side doors, outside motion detectors, double glazed windows, alarm company
signs, and radios left on when the house is empty. Most of our burglars park a car in an adjoining neighborhood or
have a partner that drives around in the immediate area. Citizen reporting of suspicious activity or
vehicles is an important part of community safety.
Patrol Operations
In Foxborough the role of the patrol officer has
been expanded to include many of the responsibilities that were once the
exclusive domain of investigators. The
officer responding to the incident takes on the primary role of the
investigator and usually is assigned responsibility and accountability for the
preliminary investigation. Depending on
the nature and severity of the crime or the complexity of the crime scene, a
follow-up investigation conducted by detectives may be initiated. In the past year two
Officers, Scott Hodson and Youth Crisis Officer Tim
O’Leary have attended Fingerprint Collection Training and assist our detective
unit with the processing of crime scenes.
During the past year officers of the department
handled 13756 calls for service. They
include:
Alarm Responses
936 Criminal Complaint 156
Citizen Assistance 1373 Traffic Collisions 622
Motor Vehicle Stops 1679Vandalisims 133
Domestic Disturbances 173 Suspicious Person 1400
The Foxborough Police has taken a step forward in
analyzing the potential of racial profiling.
During the past two years the state has requested we examine our traffic
stops. Based on our analysis; 13.3% of
drivers receiving citations were minorities.
In order to discover what our driving population was, the Triad
conducted several surveys. Based on
their work it was found that approximately eleven (11) percent of the public
that drives through Foxborough appeared to be minorities. During 2006, we will continue to review this
material.
Due to resource constraints, our patrol operation
provides minimal coverage at certain times.
On the day tour and evenings, we maintain a shift commander and three
patrol beats. On the midnight to eight
shift, it is a supervisor and two patrols.
Frequently officers initiate activity and response by themselves, often
with backup at least four to five minutes away. Each night officers conduct security premise checks on over 130
locations. During the day tours, over
35 separate neighborhoods are covered, along with our major commuter
routes. Many of our sergeants and
officers have collateral duties in an attempt to maintain functionality, while
dealing with reduced resources. Some of
these collateral areas include:
Training Reserve
Coordinator
Field Training Metro-Lec
Swat
Sexual
Offender Registrar Norpac Investigations
Court
Relief Information
Manager Sys
Prevention
Education Accreditation
During the past year there were three significant
crisis situations that challenged the department. In late February a bank robbery took place at the BankNorth on
Central Street. A lone suspect threatened a teller with a note, and made off
with several thousand dollars. Our
staff conducted an extensive investigation, working with numerous local, state,
and federal authorities through the year.
Our robber proceeded to rob over a dozen other banks in the region. In December a task force was set up, and an
operational plan devised based on an analysis of the suspect. It ended in a successful result in January
of 2006.
Less than four days after the robbery the day patrol
faced a barricade suspect in a quite neighborhood. Two members of the Metro-Lec were called in along with support
from neighboring towns. The patrol
shift was able to resolve the situation without injury. Over the next months, detectives continued
to assist the victim.
The final challenge was in July, when during a violent lightning storm, a strike at the police station caused our telephones, Enhance 911 system, radios and the in-car computer system to be knocked off-line. Prompt action by staff on duty, and by specialists on staff had the department back in operation within a few hours.
The lightning strike caused over $100,000 in damage,
which is still being replaced.
Traffic Safety
Each year officers investigate hundreds of Traffic Collisions. Many of these crashes are preventable, if operators of cars would focus on their driving and not drive at excessive speeds for the roadway conditions. The department attempts to be responsive to neighborhood concerns about excessive and speeding traffic, deploying staff to do radar enforcement. At times we will deploy the Traffic Speed Trailer; and conduct speed surveys in an attempt to mitigate the risks. Officers responded to 79 crashes in which people reported injuries, and 262 crashes in which property damage was over $1000 to each vehicle. There were also 7 bicycle/pedestrian collisions and 78 reported hit and run cases. Officers assisted in 110 minor crash events in the exchange of registry and insurance information. A group of concerned parents are still working with the Stay Alive, Drive 25 program, and the department tries to supplement their activities. Officers wrote 983 tickets – not including arrests or criminal complaints.
Dispatch Services
The first contact many citizens have with the
department is through our dispatch staff.
Our community is fortunate to have competent staff that works diligently
to direct resources in a timely fashion.
Over 3000 enhanced 911 calls come to our desk on a yearly basis, along
with scores of other calls for information, assistance, and police matters on a
daily basis. In the law enforcement
profession, there is ongoing debate on call management practices and the impact
of the community policing philosophy.
Strategies must be developed to deal with peak workload times; and the
potential for differential response to address citizen needs. For history buffs, England started using
9-9-9 as a national number in 1938, while America iniated the 9-1-1 system in
1968. Here in Foxborough we started
using 9-1-1 in the late 1980’s, and the Enhanced 9-1-1 System in 1994. As the future unfolds we will adapt our
communication capabilities to match the need.
The new call center in the Public Safety Building will only improve our
capabilities. Two new replacement hires
were added to our staff; Richard Bremlist and Jeff Lurie. They joined Richard Parker and Jessica
Roche.
Support Services
Sergeant John Chandler commands the support services division, which incorporates Court, Training, Licensing, Evidence Control, and Fleet Management. During 2005 Sergeant Chandler issued and reviewed 68 firearms licenses; 48 pistol permits and 20 firearms identity cards. All taxicabs were inspected, and drivers licensed through the Board of Selectmen. Due to the high number of arrests and summons generated by officer activity, we have high numbers for arraignments, hearings and trials. Our court officer, Scott Austin, works closely with the Clerks Officer and the District Attorney’s staff on preparing cases for prosecution.
Training is an important component of providing
quality service to residents. Each
officer is mandated to attend 40 hours of in-service training each year. The training has been provided by the
Criminal Justice Training Committee, which has established a satellite site
here in Foxborough. In January, all
officers attended a firearms qualification in North Attleboro, instructed by
Sergeant John Chandler, officers Scott Hodson and Douglas Miller. Student officers Kerry Apgar and James
Cannata are attending the MBTA Basic Police School that will qualify them as
full time officers. This 23-week
program started in September.
The department is working towards attaining State
Certification. In order to accomplish
this process, we are updating our policies and procedures. New policies and updates included:
Youth Mental Illness Supreme Court Decisions
Elder Abuse Thermal Imaging Devices
Protective Custody Stalking-Attempted Murder
Sources for these changes include the International
Association of Chiefs of Police and the Municipal Police Institute.
In terms of personnel changes, Officer Michael Grace was promoted to Sergeant; while Sergeant Gene Bousquet resigned for retirement, and Officer Chris Booth resigned to join the Massachusetts State Police. Several individuals were selected to become intermittent officers, who will fill openings on the department as they occur. Candidates for these positions had to have passed the State Civil Service Examination, an extensive background investigation, a medical examination and physical agility test.
Each year our department provides almost 1 million
dollars worth of off-duty details to vendors.
The police secretary, Donna Driscoll, maintains the collection of
accounts receivable. Her collection
efforts result in the department making more in administrative fees than are
paid out.
Community Involvement
Our success in providing a safe environment for our community is dependent on the support and efforts of both individual citizens and concerned groups. We are very fortunate that Foxborough has numerous groups that work with our department in our prevention mission. The Senior Triad group conducted an Auto-Etching clinic in May that helps prevent auto theft; and conducted several Traffic surveys to improve traffic safety. Our H.U.G.S. Foxboro Group brought in a live play for students at the Ahern School on issues surrounding bullies; produced a student drama in June put on by the FHS Drama Club on Date Rape, and provided the Silent Witness project in October and November to residents at the library and High School.
We have continued our cooperative efforts to reduce
youth access to alcohol with the Foxboro Public Schools. In May, Mother’s Against Drunk Driving
presented “Backstage Pass” a multi media presentation about decisions young
people make about drugs, alcohol and other dangerous behaviors. It was also presented as part of the Prom
Contract program. Tim O’Leary, the
Youth Crisis Officer, works closely with School Administrators and Counselors,
to have early intervention with students that face challenges. He also presents various classes on safety
and law to class levels throughout the system.
In 2006, we hope to initiate a new program for the elementary schools,
Protecting You/Protecting Me. The
program is a science-based curriculum about the brain and how alcohol and drugs
impact it.
Gillette Stadium was the site of this years National
Night Out Against Crime, tied in with an open New England Patriots practice for
Foxboro residents. Several community
groups assisted with the effort; including support form Target of Plainville.
Conclusion
The continuing success we have as an agency in fulfilling our mission is dependent on leveraging our resources so a greater return on effort is achieved. The department’s participation in the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council allows access to an Emergency Response platoon, a well-trained SWAT unit, and a regional Traffic team. Our membership in the Norfolk county Detectives Association provides task force support on complex investigations. In a rapidly changing world, cooperation, coordination and collaboration are essential in providing safety for our community.
I would like to thank all the members of the
Foxborough police for their commitment and competence in performing their
duties.
Respectfully Submitted,