Billerica Police | MA

Idemia, located on Concord Road in Billerica has donated another year of support services for the department’s live scan fingerprinting system that Idemia manufactures. The system was purchased by the Commonwealth as part of a statewide project. The original purchase included three years of support services which expired. The donation will continue support for another 12 months at no charge to the Town.

The Police Department would like to thank Idemia publicly for this generous donation as well as other past donations and technical assistance they have provided over the years. They are a great neighbor and partner. We are fortunate to have them as part of the Billerica community.

Idemia is a leading provider of identity solutions and services in the United States. For more information about their services and products please visit their website here.

From left, Tyngsborough Police Deputy Chief Shawn Woods, Dracut Deputy Chief David Chartrand, Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney, Tyngsborough Police Chief Richard Howe, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus, Billerica Police Deputy Chief Roy Frost, and Dracut Police Chief Peter Bartlett. (Photo Courtesy Front Line Initiative)

TEWKSBURY — The Front Line Initiative and its member police departments were pleased to share in a recent presentation to U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton that the regional mental-health collaborative saved taxpayers in member communities over $8 million, diverted 1,431 individuals from emergency room visits, and diverted 948 individuals from arrest.

The Front Line Initiative is a collaborative effort between Billerica Police, Chelmsford Police, Dracut Police, Tewksbury Police and Tyngsborough Police aimed at providing a direct connection to holistic, trauma-informed behavioral health and substance use disorder resources.

In the past three years, the Front Line Initiative has made 5,835 referrals for mental health services, diverted 1,431 individuals from unnecessary emergency room visits, and diverted 948 individuals from arrest.

Those diversions saved taxpayers in member communities and estimated $5.72 million on unnecessary emergency room visits and an estimated $2.37 million on unnecessary arrests, all while also providing services to individuals who are not involved with police.

“The Frontline Initiative is a compassionate, effective, and transformative approach to policing,” said Rep. Moulton. “The results clearly show that this program works, not just because it saves taxpayers’ money, but also because it forces us to treat mental health and substance use as health issues, not crimes. Not to mention, this collaborative demonstrates that when professionals who are trained to handle crises work in tandem with the police, communities are better and safer for it.”

“Police officers in the 21st century are on the front lines of our nation’s mental health crisis, and we must adjust our strategies, training, and resources to do our best for individuals who are facing mental health issues, and our communities,” said Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus. “The Front Line Initiative is an innovative, collaborative effort to take a community-focused leadership role in modern policing, and we are seeing truly groundbreaking results as a result of the work that is being done.”

Formed as a local program in Tewksbury in 2011 — then known as the Bridge Outreach Program — The Front Line Initiative became a regional partnership in 2016, and launched a rebranded, data-driven co-response program in all five member communities in 2018.

The collaborative expanded dramatically thanks to seven new grants received since 2019, increasing staff from two to 13 employees and expanding programming.

“We had high hopes when we teamed up and launched this collaborative effort in 2016, and we are seeing real results and life-changing outcomes for individuals who reach out or get referred for help,” said Tyngsborough Police Chief Richard Howe. “Its an incredible asset to responding officers to have mental health clinicians who can co-respond with them thanks to the Front Line Initiative. I am proud that the Tyngsborough Police Department is part of this effort.”

Programs provided by the Front Line Initiative now include:

• Prevention — Staff members engage with community groups, schools and civic organizations to help raise awareness and share resources to help those facing behavioral health or substance use disorder issues.
• Crisis Response — Clinicians respond along with police when individuals are in crisis to help divert patients from unnecessary emergency room visits and unnecessary arrests.
• Recovery Support — Staff members provide ongoing access to recovery programs, resources and supports in both individual and group formats.
• Training — Staff members provide a wide variety of training for police officers and community members, including on mental health first aid.

The presentation to Rep. Moulton was part of an ongoing outreach effort being conducted by Front Line Initiative Executive Director Matthew Page-Shelton to share news of the collaborative’s services and data on the collaborative’s results in member communities.

“Community policing is about far more than just making arrests. It’s also about working with local partners and other stakeholders to provide resources to the community, and working to prevent and address issues before arrests are necessary,” said Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney. “This kind of collaborative effort helps us ensure that individuals in need will get follow-up care, information and treatment that can help change their lives for the better.”

“This groundbreaking program enables us to contribute to our community in a hugely important way by helping to ensure those facing mental health issues have access to follow up care and resources,” said Dracut Police Chief Peter Bartlett. “I’m pleased the Dracut Police Department can be part of this effort to offer resources to our community.”

Individuals do not have to be involved with police to be referred to the Front Line Initiative’s programs, which are available to everyone in member communities regardless of insurance, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual preference, age, or race.

“We are extremely thankful to be a part of the Front Line Initiative. The entire Billerica community has benefited from the robust resources this initiative has provided,” said Billerica Police Deputy Chief Roy Frost. “Whether it be through co-response or follow-up with a certified Mental Health Clinician, or through improved access to specialized Crisis Intervention Training for our sworn officers, we have seen increasingly positive outcomes for individuals suffering from a crisis.”

To access services provided by the Front Line Initiative, please call the Clinical Support Team at 978-215-9642. The service is accessible 24/7. In case of an emergency, please call 911.

To access a variety of behavioral health and substance use disorder resources compiled by the Front Line Initiative online in partnership with Credible Mind, click here.

Update 11/5/21 – BILLERICA – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Billerica Acting Chief Troy Opland and Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney have confirmed that the remains located Wednesday in the Concord River in Billerica have been positively identified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as Judith Chartier, who had been missing since June 5, 1982.  The identification was made through dental records. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Dr. James T. Pokines, a Forensic Anthropologist, will be working with the District Attorney’s Office to reconstruct the remains in an attempt to determine a cause of death.

On November 2, 2021, investigators recovered the 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger that Ms. Chartier was driving on the day that she disappeared.  During a subsequent search of the same area, divers were able to recover human remains and personal items including a work identification badge, clothing and a small purse or wallet.

The items were located in about 10 feet of water, 15 to 20 yards from the shore.  As part of its ongoing commitment to these cases the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Cold Case unit, created by District Attorney Ryan in 2019,  in partnership with the Chelmsford and Billerica Police and Massachusetts State Police utilized sonar technology this week to return to an area of the river located about a mile from the Chartier home.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit, Billerica Police, Chelmsford Police, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police Dive Team. Particular thanks are extended to Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug of Sonar Search and Recovery, civilian experts who utilized Edgetech Sonar System to locate the vehicle and whose assistance was critical to the investigation.

11/3/21 – BILLERICA – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Billerica Acting Chief Troy Opland and Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney have confirmed that today investigators recovered a vehicle from the Concord River that has been positively identified as the 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger that was driven by Judith Chartier on June 5, 1982.

Ms. Chartier has not been seen since that date.

As part of an ongoing investigation, the Massachusetts State Police Dive team and civilian divers located significant portions of a vehicle in the river. Today, through a match of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), those pieces were confirmed to be from Chattier’s vehicle.

On June 5, 1982, then seventeen-year-old Judith Chartier, a Chelmsford resident, disappeared after leaving a party in Billerica. Friends reported that she was last seen around 2:00 a.m.

“This is a very significant development in this case and we are still processing the car for any additional evidence. Sadly, this discovery comes after nearly forty heartbreaking years of Judith’s friends and family missing her and wondering about what happened that day. We are committed to continuing the search for those answers,” said District Attorney Ryan.

“We are grateful to all of the people working hard on behalf of Judy Chartier. We look forward to working with all parties to bring justice in this case,” added Acting Chief Opland.

“I want to commend and thank investigators from Chelmsford, Billerica, and the District Attorney’s Office for their continued efforts on this case over many years,” said Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney.

This investigation is being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit, Billerica Police, Chelmsford Police, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police Dive Team. Particular thanks are extended to Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug of Sonar Search and Recovery, civilian experts who utilized Edgetech Sonar System to locate the vehicle and whose assistance was critical to the investigation.

Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, 15 Commonwealth Avenue, 3 Floor, Woburn, MA 01801, United