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Wilmington Town Manager, Jeffrey Hull, announced today that he has appointed Lt. Brian Pupa as the new Deputy Chief of Police. The position has been vacant since former Deputy Chief Robert Richter left the Department in November of 2018.

In a message to Police Department employees, Town Manager Hull stated, “Brian has dedicated his law enforcement career to the Town of Wilmington and I am fortunate to be able to call upon his experience to assume the next level of leadership within the department.  My expectation is that Chief Desmond and soon to be Deputy Chief Pupa will work well together and move the department forward. Once again the Town was fortunate in having experienced candidates, well versed in law enforcement and in leading a police department participate in the assessment center process.

Chief Joseph Desmond is eager to get to work with soon to be Deputy Pupa. “I look forward to working along side Deputy Chief Pupa,” said Chief Desmond, “His knowledge and experience will not only be beneficial to the Department, but will be extremely helpful to me as we look to move the Department forward.”

Brian Pupa joined the WPD in 1997 as a Permanent Intermittent Officer. He was appointed as a Patrol Officer in October of 1998. He worked his way through the ranks and was promoted to Lieutenant in November of 2008 where he took charge of the Detective Bureau. Deputy Chief Pupa hold a Law Degree from Massachusetts School of Law and is a 2017 graduate from the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Virginia in September of 2017.

The men and women of the Wilmington Police Department congratulate Deputy Chief Pupa on his promotion. We look forward to serving under his leadership for many years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chief Joseph Desmond is pleased to announce that the Wilmington Police Department is currently in the process of organizing a Police Explorers Post. Exploring is a nationwide career-oriented program for young men and women ages 14 through the age of 20. The program provides young people with an opportunity to learn about a career in law enforcement and a chance to network with sworn police officers in the community.  Exploring offers them a personal awareness of the criminal justice system through training, practical experiences, competition and other activities. Additionally, the program promotes personal growth through character development, respect for the rule of law, physical fitness, good citizenship and patriotism.

Made possible through a grant from the Woburn based Cummings Foundation, the program will involve monthly meetings as well as field trips and opportunities to assist the Police Department in a non-law enforcement capacity at certain community events. The program will be run by Wilmington Police Officers using the national curriculum created by Learning For Life, a non-Scouting subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America.

Officers will be on hand at our National Night Out event on August 6 to discuss the program and answer any questions you may have. For more information or to sign up, please visit the Explorers page on our website at http://www.wpd.org/explorers.

Yesterday afternoon, Town Manager Jeffery Hull announced that he has appointed Joseph Desmond as the new Chief of Police for the Town of Wilmington. Chief Desmond has served as the acting Police Chief since April 5 after former Chief Michael Begonis retired. In an announcement to Wilmington Police Department employees, Town Manager Hull stated, “As a member of the department since 1988 Joe has dedicated his professional career to this department.  I am confident that his collaborative leadership approach will build upon the excellent reputation that the department enjoys amongst its residents and throughout the Merrimack Valley.”

Chief Desmond joined the Wilmington Police Department in 1988. During his career, he served as a Patrol Officer, Sergeant, & Operations Lieutenant. Chief Desmond served on the the NEMLEC Tactical Police Force & Regional Response Team for many years during his time as a Patrol Officer and Sergeant.

The men and women of the Wilmington Police Department congratulate Chief Desmond on his promotion. We look forward to working under his leadership as we protect and serve the Town of Wilmington.

On Wednesday, July 3, at 10:36 AM, Wilmington Police Officers were dispatched to the parking lot of 210 Ballardvale Street for a report of drug activity in a vehicle. Upon arrival, Officers located the vehicle and after further investigation a search of the vehicle was conducted. Officers recovered more than 29 grams of Fentanyl and 31 grams of cocaine.

Rachel Adams, age 33, of Cambridge and Jeffrey Doherty, age 31, of Woburn were arrested at the scene. During the arrest process, Officers recovered more than $1,400 in cash.

Chief Joe Desmond commended Sgt. Dave Bradbury, Officer Emily Stebbins, & Detective Chris Dindo, “Thanks to an alert citizen, our Officers were able to step in and get dangerous drugs off of the street. I am extremely proud of this Department and their commitment to protecting the community of Wilmington.”

Adams was charged with Possession of a Class A Substance (Fentanyl) and Possession of a Class B Substance (Cocaine). Doherty was charged with Trafficking Cocaine and Trafficking Fentanyl. Both individuals were arraigned at Woburn District Court this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Wilmington Police Officers were recently recognized for outstanding police work at the United States Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Public Service Awards. The ceremony that recognized individuals from local, state, & federal law enforcement agencies was held on May 22 at the District of Massachusetts US Attorney’s Office in Boston. The Wilmington Officers were recognized for the role they played in two federal cases that led to multiple criminal convictions.

Retired Chief Michael Begonis, Lieutenant Brian Pupa, retired Detective John Bosssi, Detective Christopher Dindo, & Detective Michael Patterson were recognized for their work in the case of United States V. Patrick Keogan with the Investigative Achievement Award. The award was given to recognize those individuals who substantially contributed to the mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.

The investigation into Keogan, a Wilmington resident, started after he posted several threatening images on Facebook pages belonging to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center and the Islamic Society of Northeastern University. The award citation stated that “The investigation started with searches of Keogan’s Facebook account, which consisted of over 20,000 pages of bigoted and racist rhetoric – and also evidence that he had been buying, selling, trading, building, modifying, possessing and shooting firearms and ammunition, despite his prohibition from doing so as a convicted felon. This led to searches of Keogan’s other online accounts, a GPS tracker installed on Keogan’s car, and live surveillance of Keogan attending gun and knife shows. Ultimately, investigators established through GPS data and in-store surveillance footage that in May 2016, Keogan purchased rifle ammunition at a gun store in New Hampshire and brought it over the Massachusetts border. Upon Keogan’s arrest in July 2016, authorities searched his residence and found a light machine gun, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. A search of Keogan’s iPhone and iPad revealed that he also possessed child pornography.”

Based on the collaborative investigation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Wilmington Police Department, Patrick Keogan was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of making a threat to injure or intimidate another individual or to unlawfully damage or destroy a building by means of fire; one count of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; and one count of possessing child pornography. Keogan was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Detective Michael Patterson, currently assigned to the DEA Task Force, was also recognized with an Outstanding Collaborative Investigation Award. This award recognized investigators from a multi-agency collaboration whose exceptional efforts to overcome significant challenges led to a successful conclusion. Detective Patterson received this award along representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Essex County District Attorney’s Office, Haverhill Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, and the Massachusetts Stated Police for their work on Operation Bad Company.

The award citation stated that “The award recipients went above and beyond, collaborating seamlessly to develop an airtight case against more than 30 defendants distributing fentanyl and cocaine in the Lawrence area. The investigation, known as Operation Bad Company, involved two separate drug trafficking organizations led by Juan Anibel Patrone and Santo Ruiz Nivar, who supplied much of New England with fentanyl and cocaine.”

Based on this investigation, 30 individuals were arrested and over three dozen search warrants were executed which led to a seizure of over two kilograms of fentanyl. All of the defendants pleaded guilty except for one who was tried and convicted.

When the award was presented, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Heinrich stated, “Today, we honor the team’s leaders – for their efforts and success. But our appreciation goes out to all involved – the rest of the team at DEA’s Cross Border’s Initiative, and all of the local police and Massachusetts State Troopers who helped with surveillance and stops and search warrants. It was an immense piece of work, and one of which all of law enforcement should be proud.”

The Wilmington Police Department takes great pride in our collaboration with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. We wish to congratulate all of the award recipients for a job well done.

 

On June 9, 2019 at 9:05 AM, Wilmington Police received a telephone call regarding a missing 11 year old boy. Blake Bjork was last seen by a neighbor walking away from his home on Kendall Street this morning.

Wilmington Police Officers and K9 Units from the NEMLEC K9 Team spent the day searching for the boy without locating him. At 4:45 pm, the boy showed up at his residence.

The incident is under investigation by Wilmington Police Detectives. No further information will be released.

The Wilmington Police Department and the Bjork family want to send their heartfelt thanks to the many many people who searched for Blake today and those that offered messages of support on social media.