By Rita Savard
Lowell Sun
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — It wasn’t the first time police were called to the small trailer off Littleton Road.
But this time, the man who lived there threatened to kill them.
It was February when officers Jeffrey Blodgett and David MacKenzie and Sgt. Philip Dube arrived at the scene, where a man turned violent, trashing his home and gouging the furniture with a knife.
“He was yelling and screaming,” MacKenzie said. “He just didn’t want to cooperate.”
Blodgett said the man was emotionally distressed and in need of medical attention. When the officers told the man they would take him to a hospital to get help, the man said he would kill them.
With a knife in view, Blodgett said his next action was just as much about the suspect’s safety as it was for the safety of his colleagues. Boldgett fired a Taser to restrain the man and get him safely out of the house and to a hospital, where he was evaluated by doctors.
Yesterday morning, the three officers, along with several other members of the Chelmsford Police Department, were honored for their roles in helping to keep the community safe. The awards breakfast was held at the Radisson Hotel and hosted by the Chelmsford Police Foundation.
“We’re thankful for the work all of our officers put into the community,” Police Chief James Murphy said. “Every day, officers respond to numerous calls, most of which you never hear about.”
They’re the stories that slip under the radar. The routine calls that might not be exciting for newspapers or TV crews. Nevertheless, Murphy said they have an impact on the lives of residents.
The domestic call, the accident report or the check on the elderly woman who lives alone -- police officers wear many different hats, often slipping into the role of social worker.
“All of our officers have got to know how to deal with a myriad of situations, ranging from small children all the way up to our senior citizens,” Murphy said. “They work hard at what they do, to be the best at what they do.”
Like many other police departments across the state, Chelmsford has had to scale back community policing due to budget cuts. Last year, the number of patrol cars per shift was reduced from about five to four.
Murphy said he hopes to restore at least one peak shift back to safer staffing levels with nearly $22,000 coming in from a federal justice assistance grant for community-police activities. He said he would like to use the grant money to add a fifth patrol in July from 4 p.m. to midnight -- the busiest shift during the summer months.
Murphy said the Police Department has also applied for an additional federal grant, which, if approved, would fund the salaries of three additional officers for three years. But he said that grant is highly competitive.
Other officers who received awards for meritorious service yesterday included:
* Officers Brian Richard and Daniel Reid for their roles in reviving a patient who had stopped breathing by utilizing both CPR and a defibrillator.
* Officer Steve Hawkins for attention to duty for his role in investigating a suspicious motor vehicle in which three individuals were found in possession of burglary tools and a police scanner. All three were arrested before being able to carry out what police believe to be a commercial break in the area.
* Officers John Goffin, Jason Hanscom and Daniel Sullivan and Sgt. Gary Hannagan for their role in organizing programs within the Chelmsford Police Athletic League that involve kids participating in flag football and street hockey.
Copyright 2009 Lowell Sun