Compiled & Edited By Retired Officer Paul Chalifour
In order to understand the emergence and subsequent workings of today’s police department one must look back not only to the early colonial history of the town but to the medieval history of England.
Although the area now known as Wilmington was settled in the early 1660s, it was not until 1730 that it was incorporated into its own geographical and political entity. Brought to the colonies with the early settlers were many forms of English government and law.
One such institution was the office of constable. Dating from the time of the Norman invasion in 1066, the post was originally a military title of great importance. Derived from the Latin comes stabuli, meaning “count of the stable”, the position slowly evolved into that of a peace officer with the office surviving for centuries both in England and later in America.
The constable, chosen or elected by the townspeople and answerable to the selectmen, would be charged with a variety of duties. He was to post all town notices and warrants, maintain order at town meetings, oversee elections, keep the peace within the town, collect taxes, and occasionally take into custody; robbers, vagrants, drunkards, disturbers of the peace, and other criminals. The office of constable served many towns well, from early colonial days through the late 19th century.
It was, however, events in London, England that really paved the way for actual “police departments” to become a reality in this country. Events that, as years passed, brought about the demise of the constable as the sole and chief law enforcer in the town.
First, there were policing pioneers and half-brothers John and Henry Fielding who were instrumental in establishing the precursor to the modern, municipal police department. During the mid to late 1700s, London and its surrounding environs were being plagued by highway robbers and murderers. One of the innovations introduced and employed by the Fieldings were groups of parish constables who would relentlessly pursue gangs of robbers until they were caught and punished. These pursuers became known as the “Bow Street Runners” because the post of magistrate held by the Fieldings was located on Bow Street in Westminster. No longer could an individual constable hope to keep law and order over the growing population. These groups or constabularies, established in a paramilitary fashion, would foreshadow the make-up of the first city and town police departments of this country.
The Fieldings also established constable manned horse patrols on the turnpikes and highways in and around London. They were thwarted, however, in their attempts to establish a large, full-time, paid police force. The public and government were ever wary that the force would be too militaristic and infringe too much on personal freedom.
One of the last acts by John Fielding in this venture came in 1772 when he proposed to the House of Commons that all parish constables and night watchmen be put under the control of the Senior Magistrate of Westminster. However, it failed to gain support. Instead, it took the passage of nearly fifty years and continued internal and external strife brought about by the Industrial Revolution, the revolt in America, and war on the European continent to show the need for an organized police force.
The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829, introduced by Sir Robert Peel, established the guidelines and structure of the first “true” uniformed police department, the London Metropolitan Police. Its successes over the next thirty years led many municipalities in this country to incorporate, wholeheartedly, its ideas and styles. By the 1860s, most large and medium sized cities in this country had some type of police department and almost all sported the uniform and distinctive “Bobby” helmet of their English predecessor. Even small towns began to appoint police officers and form police departments.
In 1872, Wilmington became one of those towns when it appointed its first special police officer. However, a full-fledged police department did not emerge overnight. More than twenty years passed before Wilmington named its first police chief. Nearly another thirty years passed before Wilmington actually formed what can really be considered a true police department with the adoption, by the Board of Selectmen in 1922, of the Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Police Department. A document, although amended, that is still in use today. However, the chief remained the only full time, regular officer.
In 1930, the first of many permanent officers were appointed, though special officers continued to be relied on for many years. Even though these changes were coming about, the office of constable remained quite important with many men serving simultaneously in that elected position, in addition to the appointed position of police chief. However, the duties of the town constable began to gradually diminish as the police chief’s and police department’s duties steadily increased.
Today the position of constable still exists, although the duties consist primarily of posting warrants for upcoming elections and town meetings.
In contrast, the Wilmington Police Department has grown substantially to become a modern, efficient law enforcement agency providing much needed services to both residents and visitors alike. This written and photographic history spans from 1730 to the present day and focuses on major dates and events involving the town’s constables, police chiefs, and police officers. Presented in chronological order, it shows a flowing history of the Wilmington Police Department’s growth and development.
1730 The General Court of Massachusetts allows the incorporation of the town of Wilmington, combining parts of Woburn, Reading, and Charlestown. The town’s male residents gather for the first town meeting and Giles Roberts is chosen to act as town constable.
1741 Wilmington elected Samuel Killam, Thomas Rich, and William Tucker to serve as constable. Each one refused to serve when elected and was fined by the town. The fourth person elected, Ebenezer Pierce, agreed to serve and was sworn into office.
1764 As political tensions with England increase, Constable Samuel Butters is served with a warrant ordering that he collect and turn over tax money to His Majesty’s Treasurer and Receiver General, Harrison Gray Esq.
1774 In an act of defiance to British rule, Constable Ephraim Buck Jr. gives tax money he collected to the town treasurer Timothy Walker, after townspeople voted to “indemnify and defend the constable from charges that may arise from not paying same to Harrison Gray”.
1829 The earliest known record indicating the town constable was paid for his services. John Gowing received $3.50 for duties performed this year.
1845 Micajah Gowing offers to serve as constable for an annual fee of $10.00 and is subsequently elected.
1854 Levi Swain Jr. is elected constable, the first of many Swain family members to serve the town as either constable or police officer. Others being Levi W. Swain (special officer), Charles W. Swain (special officer), William E. Swain (chief and constable), and Ellis E. Swain (special officer).
1863 Samuel B. Nichols becomes the town’s liquor agent, regulating and licensing the sales of intoxicating liquors, and levying fees and taxes on products sold. Although more of a salesman than an enforcement agent, the tee totaling Nichols still made sure the liquor laws were strictly obeyed. When the town went “dry” a few years later and the office was abolished. Nichols was later elected constable.
1864 The former Free Will Baptist Church is purchased from the defunct congregation for $1000.00 and is converted into the town hall. The building, in subsequent years, would offer office and lock-up space for the town constable and, in later years, to the chief of police and special police officers. Although not an actual “police station”, it did become one of the first public buildings used for such police related business.
1872 Wilmington joins an increasing number of municipalities that begin to form police departments. The annual town report shows that former town constable A. Porter Pearson, who lived on the “Andover Road” in the “Land of Nod” (North Wilmington), was appointed as the town’s first police officer. His duties were to assist Constable Samuel B. Nichols.
1873 The town appoints five special police officers; A. Porter Pearson, Noah Clapp, Charles W. Swain, Z.T. White, and Stephen O. Butters. These officers are subordinates of the constable and were to be used on a part-time basis as needed. And though appointed, there is no indication that they were paid for their services or if their services were ever needed. Although all well known residents, these men were probably also considered for appointment because each one lived in a different section of town, an important factor in the days before telephones and automobiles.
1875 The annual report for 1875 indicates that Henry Buck was paid $4.00 for his services as a special police officer. In addition, the town paid the W.A. Brooks Co. $3.00 for police badges. This is the first year that the town records expenses for police services and equipment.
1876 Town expenses for police services increase to $6.00 as special police officers Henry Buck, A. Porter Pearson, and Thomas Bancroft are each paid $2.00.
1878 Special police officers Othniel Eames, Edward M. Nichols, Charles F. Harris, Levi Swain Jr., Thomas Bancroft, Otis Buck, John McDonald, H. N. Eames, G.T. Eames, and John H. Simpson are collectively paid a total of $21.00 for police duty, handcuffs, and badges.
1879 The annual town report does not list the names of special police officers amongst its other town officers yet payment from the town’s miscellaneous account shows William H. Carter, Thomas Bancroft, Levi Swain Jr., Edward M. Nichols, and John H. Simpson were each paid $4.00 for police duty.
1884 The town appropriates $300.00 to erect a building for holding prisoners. This jail or lock-up, built adjacent to the Old Burying Ground, was later moved across the street becoming a wing of the town hall.
1887 Names of special police officers listed once again with other town officers. A. Porter Pearson, Stanley Porter, and Charles F. Harris shown with the date their terms expire (March 1888), indicating for the first time that the positions where filled annually at the town meeting. Each officer was paid $2.00 for his services. In addition, Stanley Porter was reimbursed $1.25 for a badge and handcuff keys.
1888 Stanley Porter serves as both constable and special police officer this year. In addition, the town pays $50.00 for police services in “the apprehension and conviction of burglars who broke and entered the dwelling houses around Silver Lake”.
1890 In addition to special police officers, the town appoints a keeper of the lockup. James A. Baxter is paid $3.00 for his services in this position. From this date forward the town begins to regularly appoint a person to act as overseer of the jail cell and its prisoners. In later years the position would be consolidated with that of police chief.
1891 Former special police officer Edward M. Nichols, son of Samuel Nichols, is appointed as keeper of the lockup. The town’s special police officers Daniel C. Norcross, Reuben Hawarth, A. Porter Pearson, and Levi Swain Jr. were collectively paid a total of $36.00 for police duty. The annual town report also indicates for the first time that the town paid another police department for police services. The city of Woburn was reimbursed $6.00, although the report does not indicate why the service was needed. In addition, Charles Sargent, who was also the town constable, was paid $.85 for a police badge and $7.50 for raiding the “Painter Place”. Although no details of the raid are provided, it is possible it was for illegal liquor production as Wilmington was a “dry” town at the time and the house was located far from the populated parts of town making it an ideal place for this type of activity.
1893 Charles B. Haley appointed Wilmington’s first police chief, to be in charge of the town’s special police officers. Chief Haley served for one year and was paid $17.00 for police duty, $5.16 in court fees and $1.00 for “twisters”, an early handcuff-like restraining device. In addition, the town paid $59.22 for the services of seven special police officers, the keeper of the lockup, court fees, travel expenses, handcuffs, badges, and handcuff keys.
1894 Samuel R. Rice appointed Wilmington’s second police chief. He would serve until 1899. He was paid $6.00 during his first year for his services. It appears his police pay was so little because he was also serving as constable and was being paid $25.00 for service in that position. The annual report for this year also shows a schedule of town property, the lockup building being valued at $300.00 and police badges and handcuffs being valued at $25.00. In addition, the position of truant officer is included in the list of special police officers.
1896 This is the first year that the annual town report lists police expenses under their own heading. In previous years expenses would be drawn from a miscellaneous account. Total expenses for police related services in 1896 were $404.04.
1898 This year the town relied heavily on the assistance of other cities and towns paying the city of Woburn $3.50 for keeping prisoners and the town of Reading $19.00 for police services. This year also indicates for the first time that Wilmington’s special police officers are armed. Schmiel R. McIntosh was paid $6.05 for a revolver, cartridges, and billy club and $13.50 for police services.
1899 William E. Swain appointed Wilmington’s third police chief serving until 1912. In addition, the town votes to accept a new code of by-laws. A section entitled “Police Regulations” gives police the power to enforce rules governing the use of the town’s streets and sidewalks.
1900 The town begins to appropriate a specific amount of money ($100.00) on a yearly basis to support police services. It is hardly sufficient and additional expenses paid for through court fines and surplus town money.
1901 H. Allen Sheldon is paid $10.00 to move the lock-up building across the street to the town hall lot. In addition, the town pays $1.50 to the William Read & Sons Co. for billy clubs.
1903 The town purchases Chief Swain a coat and helmet for $12.00. This is the first recorded indication that the chief of police is wearing a uniform.
1904 The public is able to “call the police” for the first time after townspeople vote to have a telephone placed in the police chief’s home.
1908 The town buys an “automatic pistol” from the Iver Johnson Co. to be used by its police officers. The term “automatic pistol” used in the annual town report is a misnomer, as the Iver Johnson Co. did not make an automatic (aka semi-automatic) pistol in 1908. The name probably refers to a break-top revolver that automatically ejected spent shells when opened. The Iver Johnson Co. referred to these revolvers as “Safety Automatics”.
1912 Chief William E. Swain resigns to become chief of police in the neighboring town of Reading. Walter A. Hill appointed as the town’s fourth police chief. He would serve as chief until his death in 1932. Also, the town pays $27.50 for uniforms, buttons, caps, badges and uniform repair. This is the first recorded indication that Wilmington’s special police officers are wearing uniforms. Previous to this date, special officers probably wore plain clothes, carrying only a badge to identify themselves. In previous years, it was neither fiscally responsible nor financially possible to outfit officers that might perform police duties only one or two days out of the year.
1914 This year marks the first time that police expenses exceed $1000.00, topping out at $1047.68. In addition, Chief Hill submits the first written report of police activities to appear in the town’s annual report. Among other things the report indicates there were twenty-two people arrested for twelve different crimes ranging from assault and battery to working on the Lord’s Day.
1915 First recorded arrest for violation of new automobile laws.
1916 First indication of the use of an automobile for police duty. Annual report shows that $39.50 was paid for “auto hire”. This amount continues to increase and be paid for in many subsequent years indicating a definite need for a “police patrol car”.
1917 The town pays $13.50 for traffic signals for the intersection of Main and Church Streets.
1918 Automobile violation arrests increase to six and $16.82 is expended from police budget to maintain and repair traffic signals around town.
1919 Police erect traffic signs about town for a cost of $5.00. Entire police budget exceeds $2000.00 for the first time.
1920 Wilmington’s first recorded drunk driving arrest is among the twenty-nine traffic related arrests for the year.
1921 Albert Butters is listed in the annual town report as Sergeant of Police. This appears to have been a temporary position, as reference to the rank was not made again until 1938 when a permanent rank of sergeant is created.
1922 Former Chief William E. Swain dies. The town adopts the Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Police Department in May of this year. This twelve-page document describes in detail the duties of the chief and special police officers. It describes how the department will function and provide police services and gives the Board of Selectmen the power to “govern and control the department in its business and affairs”. Also in this document, reference is made to holding prisoners in “the police cells at the firehouse” indicating that the town’s original lock-up building was no longer in use. In addition, five motorcycle officers from the new, uniformed State Constabulary (the Massachusetts State Police) are quartered at the out-of-use West District School. The sub-station is equipped with a radio and telephone and the officers are assigned to patrol the area’s rural state roads.
1925 Throughout the Prohibition era, “liquor raids” are common across most of the country. Wilmington’s rural setting yet proximity to Boston make it an ideal place for illegal liquor production. Chief Hill and special officers along with State Constabulary officers and federal prohibition agents conduct a number of these raids. One of the largest hauls in the area occurred this year when 4500 gallons of “moonshine” was seized from a home on Parker Street. In addition, this year saw the first annual Wilmington Policemen’s Ball is held at the Grange Hall.
1927 Soon after the highway garage is built on Adelaide St. the police lock-up is moved once again. Two portable cells made of flat iron bars bolted together are placed in one of the garage bays and a police officer remains on duty there when prisoners are being held.
1930 The town appoints it first regular police officers, Albert Butters and Harold Lock. The department roster now consists of three full timers (a chief and two officers) and twenty special police officers. In addition, the town begins to rent office space in the Wilmington News building on Main St. in the center of town. Local headlines read: “Police Department Establishes New Headquarters In Center” and “Police Remodel Old Ames Block To Make Place For Modern Police Station -To Have All Night Duty- New Police Car Purchased”. Although the cells are still located at the highway garage, the police department now has office space to take calls and conduct business. Also, the town purchased a 1930 Ford Tudor Sedan, its first police cruiser. It was decorated with the letters WPD and was equipped with a spotlight and siren.
1932 Chief Walter A. Hill dies while in office and Harry J. Ainsworth is appointed Wilmington’s fifth police chief, serving as such until 1947. In his first annual report, he describes the new police station and the improvements that have been made to it. He mentions specifically the ceiling being whitened, the walls and floors being painted, the addition of a waist-high business counter, the addition of a sink and toilet, and the donations of a roll-top desk and typewriter. However, the most important addition was the placing of two portable cells in the rear of the quarters with iron gratings over the windows. This eliminated the need for a second officer to be on duty at the highway garage when prisoners were being held. Chief Ainsworth concluded his report by writing: “With the renovation of the police station at such a low cost, the appearance of the station has increased a hundred fold, and brings to all persons entering, an air of dignity”.
1933 Prohibition is repealed and soon “gin joints” begin springing up around town. By the late 1930s police are regularly called to places with names like the “Ritz”, the “Black Kat”, “Phyll’s Cafe, “Jack’s”, “Huntley’s”, “Madeline’s”, “Ann’s Duck Farm”, and the “Rainbow”. Barroom brawls, after hours drinking, public drunkenness, illegal liquor sales, liquor theft, dancing, gambling, and noise complaints keep the department busy. Special officers are often called on duty to assist the lone regular officer working overnight.
1934 An additional regular officer is added to the department roster and, in the words of Chief Ainsworth; “It has enabled me to inaugurate a patrol system to police the outlying districts of the town during the late night hours and also for checking up on stores and places of business in all sections of town”. Another major change and improvement in the police department was the introduction of ambulance service. The ambulance, a 1934 Lincoln Sedan, was purchased at a very reasonable price from a Mr. Edgerley of Reading. The surplus balance from the purchase donations was used to start an ambulance fund at the Mechanics Bank. This revolving fund would pay for the upkeep and operating costs of the ambulance. Although under the control of the police department, the ambulance was garaged at the firehouse on Church St. Also this year, the department experienced a place in the national spotlight with the “Kelley Hill Murder”. This gangland-style slaying was finally closed two years later when Chief Ainsworth traveled to Wisconsin and brought back the third and final perpetrator to stand trial.
1935 Wilmington’s new patrol car is equipped with a radio to receive calls. Information was telephoned to the State Police barracks in North Reading whom in turn teletyped a message to the State Police headquarters in Framingham who would broadcast a message to Wilmington’s patrol car. Tedious and time consuming by today’s standards, this was considered a breakthrough in communications in 1935. This year also saw the establishment of a Red Cross First Aid Station at the police station and the building of a pistol range in the basement of the town hall.
1936 The Wilmington Police station is equipped with a radio, enabling direct communication with the State Police headquarters in Framingham. In addition, officers are equipped with new firearms, Smith & Wesson, Military Model .38 caliber revolvers. Also this year, the department’s ambulance and personnel are dispatched to assist those injured and displaced by the “Lowell Flood”.
1938 Police vacate their rented Main St. office and begin using space at the east end of the highway department garage on Adelaide St. as a police station. In addition, Officer Talbot Sidelinker is promoted to sergeant becoming the department’s first permanent ranking officer other than the chief. Also this year a devastating hurricane rips through town. All regular officers and special officers are called to duty as dozens of trees, telephone poles, and electric wires are downed and many homes and businesses are damaged. Police log entry describes, what was actually a hurricane, as the “Worst Wind Storm in the History of Wilmington”.
1939 After chasing down and capturing an armed robber, who held up the Mechanics Savings Bank for the second time, Officer Francis Hoban is awarded a Medal of Valor from the Board of Selectmen. In addition, he is given a medal from the American Legion, cash rewards from the bank and town, and personal congratulations from Middlesex County D.A. Robert Bradford.
1940 The Acme Cement and Lumber building adjacent to McIntosh’s hardware store on Church St. is rented and converted into a police station. The building provides both office space and a garage bay for the department’s ambulance. The clapboard building was painted white and a lighted, blue police globe was hung above the front door. Sgt. Sidelinker invents and patents a leather holster that allows a shotgun to be carried in the police cruiser. According to local reporter Richard F. Davis, the zippered leather case “…which allows speedy grasping of the weapon while driving with one hand has aroused the interest of a number of other departments”. In addition, Officer Francis Hoban is promoted to Deputy Chief. The department complement now consists of a chief, a deputy chief, a sergeant, two patrolmen, and twenty special officers subject to call.
1941 The department’s original ambulance is stripped of equipment and taken out of service. A new 1941 Cadillac ambulance is put into service. This purpose built vehicle is one of the most advanced and best equipped of any area police or fire department. This year also sees the position of police chief placed under civil service classification.
1942 In the first full year of U.S. involvement in the W.W.II, Chief Ainsworth forms an auxiliary police force consisting of forty men to aid in the defense of the town. The police department provided badges and nightsticks and the officers purchased their own uniforms. They were given weekly instructions and training by the chief and were used extensively, patrolling various parts of the town, enforcing dim-out and blackout regulations at night, and acting as air raid wardens. Also, this year the ambulance and police personnel were dispatched to Boston to aid in the Coconut Grove fire disaster. Ironically, four Fitzgerald brothers from Wilmington and Wilmington schoolteacher Mildred Rogers were among the 492 who perished in the blaze. In addition, the town adopts a pay scale and work schedule for the department’s officers. The deputy chief and sergeant being paid $38.00 per week and the regular patrolmen being paid $36.00 per week, with all officers working a 48 hour week, having one day off in seven. The police department also begins to register bicycles in the town. License plates, made at the state prison, along with certificates of registration are issued by the police department for twenty-five cents.
1943 Due to regulars and specials being called to service in the war, Chief Ainsworth appoints all auxiliary officers as special police officers so they could perform the duties of regular police officers, if needed. In addition, Myrtle Shaw and Viola Staveley are appointed as the department’s first police matrons. Also this year, the state police update their radio system and change their broadcast frequency rendering the cruiser radio obsolete and unusable. Due to shortages and wartime restrictions, a new radio was not acquired until the following year.
1944 A new radio is installed in Wilmington’s police cruiser and calls are relayed through the Reading Police Department’s radio system.
1947 Chief Harry J. Ainsworth resigns to become the chief probation officer at the Fourth District Court in Woburn. However, he continues to serve as town constable until 1959. Deputy Chief Hoban becomes acting chief and heads the department until the late fall of 1948. Also this year, large parts of New England, including Wilmington, are scorched by out of control forest fires. The entire police force, consisting of twenty-four officers (regulars and specials), is called to duty. Officers worked around the clock and assisted firefighters, provided traffic control, helped evacuate residents, manned the ambulance, manned the fire station, and patrolled the town looking for fire outbreaks.
1948 Paul J. Lynch is appointed as Wilmington’s sixth police chief and serves as such until 1979.
1952 A two-way radio system is put into service which allows communication between all town departments. The town also begins construction on a combined police and fire station to be located on Church St. adjacent to the town’s first firehouse.
1953 The new police/fire station is completed and occupied by both departments. This is the first purpose built police station that is used by the town. In previous years the department paid to rent privately owned office space or used space in other municipal buildings such as the town hall and highway garage.
1954 After twenty years, responsibility for providing ambulance service is transferred from the police department to the fire department.
1955 Five school traffic supervisors are added to the ranks of the department. These uniformed women, trained in traffic enforcement and school safety by the Registry of Motor Vehicles, are assigned duty at the town’s schools. Fred F. Cain’s Chrysler dealership donates to the department a new white Chrysler station wagon to be designated the department’s safety car.
1956 Just three years after occupying its new headquarters, the department has grown to include a chief, deputy chief, two sergeants, nine patrolmen, seven school traffic supervisors and several police vehicles. Due to this growth and growth in the fire department, the police/fire station becomes completely overcrowded and inadequate. Plans are soon developed for a new, separate police station.
1958 Deputy Chief Hoban dies while in office. Also, with fears of communism, espionage, and atomic war on the rise, the town again forms an auxiliary police force this time to join the auxiliary fire service and auxiliary ambulance service under the control of the Civil Defense Department. In addition, the Avco Research and Advanced Development Division (now Textron) forms its own police force. Avco’s officers begin to patrol the sprawling, top secret complex on Lowell St. after being sworn in as special police officers by the police chief and town clerk. In the event of emergency, these officers could be called upon along with the auxiliary police force to supplement the regular force.
1959 The highway garage on Adelaide St., having offered office, lock-up, and garage space to the police department at various times over the past thirty years, is demolished. In its place, begins construction of a modern police station. Former Chief Ainsworth retires as both town constable and chief probation officer.
1960 Officers Charlie Ellsworth and Anthony Langone begin live-in training sessions at he Massachusetts State Police Academy in Framingham becoming the first of many Wilmington officers to attend that facility. They attend classes in criminal law, motor vehicle law, report writing, and first aid. In addition, they receive extensive firearms training, becoming proficient with their revolvers, the 30-30 rifle, the .45 cal. semi-automatic rifle, the .45 cal. submachine gun, the 12 ga. shotgun, and the gas grenade gun.
1961 Former Chief Harry J. Ainsworth dies. Also, the town dedicates its newly completed police headquarters in June of this year. The $75,000 colonial-style building features abundant office space, modern bathroom and shower facilities, a kitchen, a locker room, storage closets, several holding cells, and a pistol range. In addition, the grounds are well landscaped and feature adequate parking for those doing business at the station. It remains the only building owned by the town that was built and occupied solely for and by the police department.
1963 Two years after occupying their new station the department roster has grown to include a chief, five sergeants, fourteen patrolmen, and ten traffic supervisors.
1965 After receiving three months of training, the department’s first K-9 officers, Jay Palmer and Anthony Langone, begin patrolling with their dogs “Zip” and “Roscoe”. Also this year, the rank of lieutenant is created for the first time with the promotion of Sgt. A. John Imbimbo.
1969 Chief Lynch presents Rev. Tadgell of the Congregational Church, Fr. Croke of St.Thomas of Villanova Church, Rev. Miller of the Methodist Church, Rev. Smith of the Baptist Church, and Fr. Leahy of St. Dorothy’s Church with gold police badges and names them “Honorary Chaplains” of the police department. Also this year, the Northern Middlesex Tactical Riot Squad, precursor to the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) Tactical Police Force (TPF), is formed. Officers from several Lowell area cities and towns, including Wilmington, receive riot control training from the FBI and begin responding to numerous callouts for ever increasing anti-war demonstrations and other incidents of civil disobedience. In addition, the department’s K-9s “Zip” and “Roscoe” are deployed with the unit.
1972 The Wilmington Police Association is superseded as the officers’ primary union organization when they join the International Brotherhood of Police Officers (IBPO) and form Local 318.
1977 Sgt. Jay Palmer becomes the first Wilmington officer to attend the FBI National Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. In addition, Police Clerks Edith Narduzzo and Margaret Perry, along with Traffic Supervisor Sgt. Maryann Langone attend rape counseling and investigation programs offered by Mystic Valley Mental Health Center and Choate Memorial Hospital becoming the department’s first female employees to be specially trained in this area.
1979 Chief Paul Lynch retires after serving nearly thirty-one years as chief and nearly forty-one years with the department having started as a special officer in 1938. Sgt. Bobby N. Stewart is promoted to chief.
1980 For the third time in the police department’s history, an auxiliary police force is formed, however, under more calm and peaceful circumstances. Used to augment the department’s regular roster, these volunteer officers perform duties at parades, concerts, Fourth of July celebrations, and sporting events. In addition, they patrol nightly the town’s schools and other municipal buildings and properties.
1982 Proposition 2 1/2 is blamed for budget cuts that threaten to diminish or even curtail the department’s ability to provide service.
1983 Wilmington Police Department is instrumental in starting the Northeast Regional Police Institute (NERPI), an in-service training academy located on the grounds of the Tewksbury State Hospital. In addition, Lt. Bernard Nally is promoted to deputy chief, a rank that was abolished with the passing of Deputy Chief Francis Hoban in 1958. Also, this year sees the beginning of massed anti-nuclear demonstrations at Avco’s Lowell St. complex. At times, nearly the entire police force is deployed along with a state police contingent and members of the regional tactical police force as hundreds protest Avco’s development and construction on the MX (later named Peacekeeper) intercontinental ballistic missile.
1986 Wilmington arms its officers with semi-automatic pistols, at a time when few agencies in the state were issuing this type of weapon. The new, state of the art Heckler & Koch Model P7M8 9mm military style pistols replace the aging and archaic Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolvers. In addition, the department’s pump action shotguns are replaced with Benelli Model M1 semi-automatic 12 ga. shotguns.
1987 A computer information management system is introduced to handle and enhance the department’s record keeping abilities. Handwritten and typed daily logs and reports become a thing of the past. Also this year, the Wilmington Department of Public Works constructs and outdoor police firearms training range on a remote section of land behind the DPW garage on Andover St.
In addition, the Wilmington Police Department Honor Guard is formed and the Wilmington Police Memorial, a granite stone engraved with the Wilmington Police badge and names of deceased officers, is dedicated in front of the police station.
Also, the police sponsored Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program is introduced to the Wilmington School system. It is first taught by Juvenile Officer Robert Spencer and subsequently by Officers James White and Chip Bruce.
1988 Wilmington officers attached to the NEMLEC TPF are deployed to prison riots at the Essex County Jail in Lawrence and Middlesex County House of Correction in Billerica. The daylong riots, involving hundreds of inmates at both institutions, are brought under control by late evening.
1990 Due space shortages, the detectives, along with the safety officer, juvenile officer, traffic officers, and DARE officer move from the Adelaide St. police station and take up office space on the top floor of the former Swain School. Preliminary architectural drawings of a proposed combined police and fire public safety building are submitted to the town.
1991 Wilmington officers attached to the NEMLEC TPF are deployed on a Presidential protection and security detail when, during the Gulf War, President George Bush visits Raytheon’s Patriot missile plant in Andover. One of three such visits to the area during his presidency that Wilmington’s TPF officers participated in providing security.
1993 Grant application to Massachusetts Council on Criminal Justice is accepted and the department is awarded $75,000 to put towards implementing its “community-policing” program.
1995 Wilmington’s police and fire departments’ 9-1-1 system is brought on-line. This statewide Enhanced 9-1-1 system, or E 9-1-1 for short, allows callers’ location, name and telephone number to be automatically displayed at the police and fire stations. It also allows for calls to be forwarded to surrounding towns’ public safety answering stations in the event communications systems within Wilmington are overloaded with calls or otherwise disabled. Also, voters at a special town meeting held in December approve the college education incentive program known as the “Quinn Bill”. This allows police officers that attain associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degre in criminal justice a pay incentive of ten, twenty, and twenty-five percent respectively. In addition, criminal justice grant money allows the department to purchase new body armor vests for every officer.
1996 Civilian dispatchers are hired. Their duties include answering all incoming business and 9-1-1 calls, data entry, dispatching police officers to calls for service, checking license and registration information with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, making warrant and criminal background checks and maintaining communications with police officers in the field.
1999 Article 39 of the Annual Town Meeting seeks to have the proposed combined police/fire public safety building named the Wilmington Memorial Public Safety Building in honor of Wilmington firefighters Wilbur Sheldon and Russell Pratt who were killed fighting a house fire near Silver Lake in 1927. In addition, the memorial would also honor all deceased members of both the police and fire departments for their past service to the town. The motion was seconded and approved. Later in the year, ground is broken for the new facility located at the corner of Church St. and Adelaide St.
2000 The department upgrades its officers’ sidearm with the Beretta Model 96G .40 cal. semi-automatic pistol. The Benelli shotguns, in use since 1986, are phased out of service and are replaced with Beretta Model M1201FP 12 ga. semi-automatic shotguns. Also, the AR-15 .223 cal. semi-automatic patrol rifle is added to the arsenal along with military M-16 5.56mm automatic assault rifles.
Work on the Wilmington Memorial Public Safety Building nears completion and a “mobile police precinct” is deployed to the Wilmington Plaza for the Christmas season. This mobile site trailer is equipped with heat, electricity, first-aid supplies, cellular telephone, and office space and can be deployed as needed by the department for special events and community policing programs throughout the year. In addition, officers are issued new portable radios; new laptop mobile data terminals are installed in all the marked cruisers and a new speed-monitoring trailer is deployed at various locations around town. Also this year, dispatchers begin cross training in police, fire, and EMS procedures in anticipation of their move to a combined communications dispatch center in the new public safety facility.
2001 Chief Bobby N. Stewart retires having served the department for thirty years, the past twenty-one and a half years as chief. Deputy Chief Bernard Nally is promoted to chief and Lt. Robert Spencer is promoted to deputy chief. Wilmington continues it’s long standing membership in the NEMLEC community as the TPF becomes the Regional Response Team (RRT), a name which better describes the unit’s multi-faceted duties and capabilities.
2004 Chief Bernard Nally retires after 42 years of dedicated service. Deputy Chief Robert Spencer is promoted to Chief of Police.
2005 Chief Spencer retires and Chief Michael Begonis takes command of the Wilmington Police Department.
2006 Due to the transitions occurring with the retirement of Chief Robert Spencer in 2005, Robert Richter was promoted to Deputy Chief and he assumed his role as the department’s Executive Officer. Also assuming new roles were Joseph Desmond, promoted to Operations Lieutenant and Brian Pupa, promoted to Patrol Sergeant. The K9 Team of Officer Eric Palmer and Kimo continued to excel in their job, underscored by the many regional and national awards and accolades they continue to receive. Also established this year was a full-time Training Division staffed by Sergeant Scott Sencabaugh and Officer Steve LaRivee.
2007 A focus on Homeland Security saw new and renewed partnerships with many state and federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DEA and ATF. Increased reliance and need for criminal intelligence saw a detective from the department assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the Boston/Lowell FBI office. Internally, the department introduced a new Information Management System and upgraded the Public Safety Dispatch Center’s 9-1-1 System.
2008 The department began with the installation of a new radio system. The systems will improve communications and allow for better compliance with Federal communication regulations.
2009 The department continued on track towards state certification and set a goal to become an accredited police agency in 2010. Our former Detective Bureau offices located in the Swain School became history when the building was demolished. Built as a high school in 1914 the building reverted to a grammar school in 1950. In the 1990s the then vacant building’s top floor was converted into the Criminal Bureau offices. When the Wilmington Memorial Public Safety Building was opened in 2001 the detectives and specialists moved out. Finally, we sadly mourned the passing of three former department members, Sergeant James Rooney, Detective Michael Celeta and Officer (later Public Safety Dispatcher) George O’Connell.
2010 The department achieved state certification in May and continued towards state accreditation during the remainder of the year. The Traffic & Safety Division was awarded a Gold Medal in the statewide Law Enforcement Challenge for their efforts in traffic and pedestrian safety. The competition saw only six gold medals awarded across the state. The department was saddened again by the passing of longtime former members Sergeant David McCue Sr., Officer Robert Vassallo and Special Officer Joseph Balestrieri.
2011 The department achieved state accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and was also awarded an additional Gold Award in the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Challenge. Long serving officers Francis Hancock and Jon Shepard retired and we saw the active duty passing of Officer Shawn Lee. Officer Lee, a U.S. Air Force Veteran and department FTO, Honor Guard member and member of the NEMLEC Regional Response Team succumbed after a long battle with leukemia.
2012 This year saw the retirement of long-time officers Detective Lieutenant J. Christopher Neville who had served since 1978 and Detective Thomas Miller who had served since 1985. To fill the gaps left by recent departures, the department hired and trained at one time its largest group of officers ever. Five officers, Kevin Cavanaugh, Rafael Cruz, Daniel Furbush, Michael Johnson and Julio Quiles simultaneously attended the Lowell Police Academy and later entered into the Field Training program together upon their graduation. Also, K9 Ridic assumed a new partnership with Officer Eric Palmer as K9 Kimo began to enjoy his recent retirement.
2013 The major story of the year saw the Wilmington Police Department directly involved in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings. Many officers responded to Watertown to assist in the hunt for the bombers. Sadly we also saw the loss of one of Wilmington’s residents in the slaying of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. In the aftermath of his Line of Duty death; Wilmington Police took part in his candlelight vigil on the Town Common, escorted his family’s motorcade at his wake and funeral services and coordinated the staging area for his memorial service. Thousands of police officers from across the United States and Canada descended upon Wilmington to be staged and later bussed to MIT in Cambridge to pay their respects. We also wished longtime patrolman Officer Stephen Mauriello well in his retirement after thirty years of dedicated service.
2014 The department was a recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Woburn based Cummings Foundation as part of their $100K For 100 program. The monies will be put towards equipment needs, safety initiatives, and community partnership building activities. We also held our first National Night Out event bringing the community and the police department together in a collaborative effort in building and maintaining beneficial relationships.
2015 Long time police officers James White and Chip Bruce, both former D.A.R.E. officers both retired this year. Detective James White began his career in 1984 as a patrol officer and later worked as a traffic officer, D.A.R.E. officer, detective and court prosecutor. Officer Chip Bruce started with the police department in 1989 and later served as D.A.R.E. officer and as the department’s first School Resource Officer.
2016 Officer Eric Palmer and K9 Ridic retired. Officer Palmer accepted a job in the private sector and with his departure the department lost valuable assets in both himself and his K9 partner Ridic. A state of the art outdoor firing range was opened in a secluded section of town owned land in North Wilmington. The firing range allows officers to be trained in-house rather than traveling great distances to privately owned ranges and it is available for departmental use year round.
2017 In an effort to fill recent departures, another large group of officers were simultaneously hired. Officers Shane Foley, Emily Stebbins and Michael Wilson were trained and graduated from the Lowell Police Academy in November of this year while Officer Daryl Ceruolo is expected to graduate from the Reading Police Academy in April of 2018. In an effort to better handle increased calls related to substance abuse and mental illness we welcomed Samantha Reif as our Substance Abuse Program Coordinator. Samantha Reif is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and will work closely with police officers and other community resources in this area of need. We also continued with our fourth National Night Out celebration and in an extra effort to reach out to the community we held a Citizens Police Academy. Citizen attendees were given training in criminal law, traffic law, investigations, defensive tactics and substance abuse issues amongst other topics. Finally, we wished Sergeant David Axelrod well as he retired after thirty years of faithful service.