Taking A Ride With The Templeton Police

Taking A Ride With The Templeton Police

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by Tara Vocino Sgt. Derek Hall said larceny and breaking and entering are the most common incidents that are reported. + click to enlarge Tara Vocino Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON Gardner News reporter Tara Vocino is taking a closer look at the inner workings of some of the local institutions that sometimes get taken for granted. Today she pays a visit to the Templeton Police Department and shares her insights as she takes a ride with the police. I took an evening ride-along in an unmarked cruiser to experience a day in the life of a police sergeant. It was a chance to see the inner working of the men in blue, responding to the call of duty, putting their lives on the line when need be. A common consensus among Sgt. Steven Flis and Sgt. Derek Hall is that no one day is the same. Calls that came in were for a car that hit a deer, a motor vehicle stop for improper use of headlights and executing an arrest warrant. During the ride-along, the sergeants talked about the challenges of the job, including handling child deaths or domestic cases involving children, working irregular hours and on major holidays as well as the high-pressure environment. They also spoke of the highlights of their position, including when former addicts later thank them for helping them to become sober, saving lives, and solving difficult, investigative cases. Mr. Hall began the evening by giving a tour of the station and pointing out the cell and station addition that is currently being done thanks to a donation. He pointed to where a new, bigger addition will be, in the current parking lot behind the station, due to the ballot vote passing earlier this week. “This is our booking room, where we handcuff prisoners to the wall,” Mr. Hall said. “We previously had to transport them to Athol, where we had to pay an officer to watch the prisoners and the cruiser would be out-of-town.” Mr. Flis said the vote passing is good both for the town and for the department. “We’re excited, he said. “It came down to the voters, and we want to thank everyone who supported us.” We were in the middle of the tour when a call came in and it was time to leave. We left the station and hopped in the cruiser to respond to a call of a car accident. It was an MVA (motor vehicle accident) with an SUV (sports utility vehicle) with property damage but no PI (personal injury). The scanner in the cruiser crackled to life, the dispatcher giving further details about the incident. Asa Johnson had struck a deer when it came across the guardrail and ran out in front of him on King Phillip Trail (Route 202) in Baldwinville. “I didn’t see it coming,” Mr. Johnson said. “There’s a lot of deer in this area.” The deer was DOA. There wasn’t any damage to Mr. Johnson’s SUV or to him. Phillipston Officer Bill Chapman assisted Mr. Johnson in putting the deer in the back of his SUV. Mr. Flis didn’t have to file an accident report since the damage was less than $1,000. But he did have to document the incident for the police log. He said the department is fortunate to have a good working relationship with the Phillipston Police Department and said the road is always busy with deer being struck. During the route, he pointed out a radar mobile unit that was placed on Baldwinville Road, where residents have made online speeding complaints to the station. Mr. Flis drove around town to do business, school and residential checks, looking for suspicious activity, while checking to see if he heard or saw anything. He said the department no longer uses sectors, where officers are assigned to a precinct. “If it’s a hot call, we’re all going,” he said. Mr. Flis said after the ride-along he will file an accident report with injury and property damage and to report credit card Internet fraud. A few hours later, Mr. Hall said they look for people doing illegal or prescription drugs, trespassing, partying, having sexual intercourse, underage drinking in wooded areas, where it’s irregular to find people hanging out at night during building checks. They check to see if all is secure or not. Both sergeants stopped for gas during their shift. During the execution of the warrant, Mr. Hall stopped by the apartment building, where a car resembling the description of the suspect’s car was parked. However, it was a tenant’s vehicle. He couldn’t search the vehicle or apartment building without a search warrant or consent. “She lives on a different floor,” Mr. Hall said. “It’s not related.” A state trooper noticed that a motorist flashed his lights, indicating him to drive more quickly along Route 2. Although the trooper didn’t stop him, he traced the plate number to the residence of the person driving the car, and both cruisers drove to the residence to investigate. He gave the driver a verbal warning, noting that he could have been fined for improper use of headlights or that it could have turned into a road rage or safety incident. “He suggested him not to do that,” Mr. Hall said.