Above: Spring and summer highlights from the SPD and SFD include an arrest that made the news and recent car crashes. (images cropped from Facebook posts)
Two incidents involving police in Southborough made the news on Friday. It reminded me that I was overdue in looking at what public safety departments have been up to this summer. (Though I’ve shared a few announcements, I haven’t focused on police or fire departments since late March.)
So, I combed through the SPD’s and SFD’s Facebook posts for highlights worth sharing. But first, the news that made headlines last week:
Road Rage Arrest
Southborough Police became involved in a story about alleged road rage in Boston when Officer Austin Chapski spotted a car described in an issued alert. The Telegram reported:
A Grafton man possibly involved in a road rage incident on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston was later apprehended in Westboro, according to police. . .
According to state police, about 6:20 p.m. Thursday the drivers of two vehicles were involved in a verbal confrontation as they drove on the highway near the Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston. Obscene gestures were exchanged, police said.
One of the vehicles was a taxi, the other was an Audi driven by the Grafton man, police said.
At one point a window of the taxi was shattered.
The SPD posted to Facebook:
Off. Chapski advised dispatch that he had located the vehicle and began to follow the vehicle through Southborough and into Westborough- until there were enough back-up police units available for a car stop. Officers from SPD and WPD conducted a motor vehicle stop in Westborough, where the operator was taken into custody without incident. MSP was on scene shortly after the stop and took over the investigation from there.
Trooper and Truck Crash on Pike
This story took place in Southborough but related to the State Police. An accident on the MassPike between a tractor trailer and a police cruiser required a state trooper to be transported to the hospital. You can see WCVB’s report here.
SPD and SFD Reports
Southborough Police Department Logs posted covering March 7th through August 3rd show the SPD has made 10 Arrests in that time. Four involved driving under the influence and one one on July 4th was for “B&E Vehicle/Boat Nighttime For Felony”.
Another 32 Criminal Applications were pressed, mostly related to Motor Vehicle Stops. Eight Harassment Complaints were taken. They also logged 27 reports of Larceny, Forgery, and/or Fraud.
Officers responded to 111 vehicle accidents, eight of which required a transport to a hospital. Reported disturbances and a well being check led to four other hospital transports.
That leads me to Southborough Fire Department’s reports. For March through July, the SFD reported responding to 340 Emergency Medical calls. They also handled 20 Hazardous Conditions and 18 fires. Other responses were for 47 Service calls, 3 special incidents, and 81 false alarms. 64 responses were for “Good Intent” calls – calls made for an emergency scare/concern that turns out to be unfounded.*
To read my formatted version of the police logs, click here. To view SFD’s Activity and Performance Measure Reports (including response times and Mutual Aid data), click here.
Emergency Responses
The SFD posted news and pictures for four car accidents in that required hospital transports and one house fire (in Hopkinton):
Just after 7 A.M. this morning, our crew responded to a motor vehicle accident on Rte. 9 at White Bagley Road. Two occupants were transported to local hospitals.
Engine 23 and Ambulance 29 responded to Route 495 Northbound yesterday for a single vehicle crash. Both the driver and passenger were transported to UMass Medical in Worcester; the driver sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Westborough Fire assisted.
Crews responded to assist Hopkinton with a 3-alarm fire on Saddle Hill Rd last night. In addition to the heavy fire conditions, water supply was a challenge. The area is without hydrants requiring the use of a water-tanker shuttle to continuously bring water to the scene from distant sources.
Just past 6 a.m. this morning, fire crews were dispatched for a single vehicle MVC roll over on Oak Hill Road. Road was closed briefly and driver was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Just after midnight yesterday, crews responded to a MVA involving an SUV and tractor trailer. Upon arrival the SUV was fully engulfed in fire . Fortunately, the driver of the SUV escaped with only minor injuries. She was transported by a Westborough Fire ambulance to the hospital. The driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured.
Public Safety News
The SFD shared news and resources with followers:
Emergency Back-Up Communications Grant – April 7
The Southborough Fire Department is pleased to announce that we have been selected to receive a MA Department of Fire Service Grant Award in the amount of $6,850.00.
This grant will be used to provide emergency back-up power at one of the town’s emergency radio communications receiver sites at the end of Overlook Road. This project will ensure emergency communication capabilities to a significant portion of the town, especially during severe weather events.
Promoting AED Access – April 29
In an effort to promote early CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) access, residents will now notice these “AED On Site” decals at the entrances of public buildings and schools in town. Studies have shown that survival from cardiac arrest doubled when bystanders stepped in to use a publicly-available AED.
Annual Memorial Service – June 14
Yesterday, active and retired members of the Southborough Fire Department, their families and friends were able to gather for our annual Firefighters Memorial Sunday. This ceremony is meant to remember those active and retired members of the department who have dedicated their lives to serving the Southborough community and honoring those who have passed recently. This year, we added the names of Lt. John Mauro, Sr. and Firefighter Calvin J. Mauro to the memorial plaque. In addition, after the ceremony, members of the department placed “loyal to our duty” flags at the grave markers of past members located at the Southborough Rural Cemetery.
Training – July 22
During this month’s training, members of each group including our newest probationary firefighter Tom Durkin, are brushing up on the skills they need to operate Engine 23 effectively. This includes switching to hydrant water after the tank empties and supplying the correct operating pressure to multiple size hoses.
Air Quality
The SFD also warned residents in late July about the poor air quality conditions related to North American wildfires. As part of that, they shared a link to get information on real time air quality from the EPA – https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow/
In SPD news, the department shared news on it’s most recent hire:
New Officer Graduates with Honors – July 2
The newest member of the Southborough Police Department, Officer Tyler Lu; has already had a very busy day today. After receiving the Academic Excellence Award at the Randolph Police Academy’s 12th Recruit Officers’ Class graduation this morning, he was immediately sworn in as a probational Full-time Southborough Police Officer by Town Clerk James Hegarty at the Town Hall. Off. Lu will be starting his Field Training program with our Department on Monday July 5th, 2021.
We wanted to take a moment to welcome Tyler to the Town of Southborough and congratulate him on his outstanding achievement. Welcome aboard, Officer Lu!
On the Lighter Side
The departments also shared photos from the Easter Bunny Drive-Thru event, a Kindergartener who won a Finn School reading raffle for a ride to school in the Fire Chief’s car, and summer Rec Camp campers exploring the public safety station and vehicles. The SPD also shared group photos taken this summer.
*Examples of Good intent calls are “smoke” spotted that turns out to be steam or from a BBQ, or a reported gas odor that doesn’t appear to be a real problem. According to the NIRS reporting guide the category includes calls cancelled while responders are in route or if they show up to find that the injured party is no longer at the scene.
Updated (12/1/21 3:35 pm): I replaced the Police log with one that reflected the correct dates in the header.
Fantastic work by Officer Austin Chapski! Welcome Officer Tyler Lu, we are happy to have you onboard.