PAX Centurion - March / April 2015

Page 28 • PAX CENTURION • March/April 2015 617-989-BPPA (2772) COMMISSIONER’S COMMENDATIONS (Courtesy of bpdnews.com ) Commissioner Commendations Presented to Officers Casey McDonough & Allison McHale - On December 2, 2014, officers responded to an armed bank robbery at the Mt. Washington Bank at 501 Southampton Street in which the suspect entered the bank while partially masked, threatened the teller with a knife and fled the scene after pilfering an undisclosed amount of U.S. Currency. In the days after the robbery, detectives were able to secure an arrest warrant after identifying the suspect wanted in connection to the bank robbery. Photos of the suspect were disseminated during roll call and several days later, BPD officers got their guy. In fact, on December 11, 2014, Officers McHale and McDonough were on patrol in the area of the Old Harbor Housing Development when they observed a male fitting the description of the suspect. Officer McHale promptly exited the patrol wagon to follow the suspect on foot while Officer McDonough moved the vehicle to a secure location. After confirming the identity of the suspect, officers took the suspect into custody. Thanks to their quick actions and attention to detail, a bad actor was taken off the streets of Boston and a second robbery may have been prevented as the suspect was found to have a mask in his possession. For making the city a safer place, Officers McHale & McDonough are aptly awarded Commissioner’s Commendations. Commissioner Commendations Presented to Officers Ayesha Lawton & Lynwood Jenkins - On Saturday, November 22, 2014, Officers Lawton & Jenkins – while working a last half on District C-6 (South Boston) - responded to a call for a breaking & entering in progress at the Dollar Store at 626 Dorchester Avenue. Thanks to their swift and speedy response, Officers Lawton & Jenkins were able to arrive on scene in time to locate and apprehend the suspect responsible for the break-in. On arrival, officers observed the suspect still holding the crowbar used to break a store window. As officers were taking the suspect into custody, several witnesses approached and identified the suspect as the person seen breaking into the business. The suspect was subsequently charged with Breaking & Entering and Possession of Burglarious Tools. For making the city a safer place, Officers Lawton & Jenkins are aptly awarded Commissioner’s Commendations. On November 18, 2014, members of the District A-7 Neighborhood Drug Control Unit were in the Eagle Hill area of East Boston when officers observed what appeared to be a transaction between two individuals involving illegal narcotics. After witnessing the transaction, officers approached both of the suspects involved. When officers attempted to stop the suspects, one of the suspects immediately adopted a defensive stance and began fighting with the officers. During the course of altercation, officers observed the suspect repeatedly reaching for his waistband in such a way as if to suggest he was in possession of a weapon. After the suspect was handcuffed, a search of the suspect enabled officers to discover and recover a .357 caliber firearm (loaded) found in the suspect’s pant leg. In addition to the firearm, an undisclosed quantity of heroin, marijuana and money were found on the suspect. The outstanding police in this incident work led to the arrest of two armed felons and the recovery of an illegal firearm. For protecting our communities and keeping our citizens safe, Commissioner’s Commendations are bestowed to Sergeant Detective Felipe I. Colon, Detective John McCarthy & Police Officer Richard Slamin. Commissioner Commendations Presented to Police Officers Matthew Carey, Jenna Cullity, John Feeney, David Malcolm & Luis Velasquez - At 3:40am, on November 6, 2014, officers were on patrol in the area of Tufts Street and Walford Way when they observed a motor vehicle matching the description of a vehicle wanted in connection to an earlier shooting incident that had resulted in a homicide on Main Street in Charlestown. The same vehicle was also involved in a hit-n-run accident on Medford Street. Upon seeing the car, which was stopped at a traffic signal, Officer Cullity called off on her location and promptly activated lights and sirens. Although the suspect’s vehicle remained at the traffic signal, the officer noted the operator failed to place the motor vehicle into park. At this time, Officers Carey and Malcolm showed up on scene and immediately pulled in front of the suspect’s motor vehicle preventing it from fleeing the scene. Fearing the presence of a weapon, officers immediately instructed both the operator and passenger of the vehicle to show their hands. However, instead of showing his hands, the operator of the car continued to reach into the back seat. At this time, officers observed a firearm on the floor behind the front seat. As the suspect continued to move towards the back seat, officers fought to maintain control of the suspect’s hands and arms. With the arrival of Officers Velasquez and Feeney, Officers Cullity, Carey and Malcolm were able to subdue and arrest both suspects. For their remarkable restraint, courage and commitment to protecting and serving the citizens of our city, Officers Velasquez, Feeney, Cullity, Carey and Malcolm are each awarded a Commissioner’s Commendation.