Billerica Police Department partners with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to complete interactive, scenario-based training

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BILLERICA, Mass. – Forty-four (44) members of the Billerica Police Department (BPD) recently completed four days of interactive, scenario-based training in partnership with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO), utilizing the office’s Mobile Training Center (MTC), Police Chief Daniel Rosa and Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian announced today.

The MTC is a specialized trailer that allows officers the ability to train for real-life situations and scenarios utilizing video simulations of incidents they may encounter during their duties, with a heavy emphasis placed on communication and de-escalation skills. BPD officers who participated in the training went through a series of scenarios focused on domestic disturbances, mental health crises, traffic stops and threats to schools.

“The MTC is an invaluable and unique training tool,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “The MTC requires officers to utilize the full depth and breadth of their training and allows departmental instructors the ability to provide immediate feedback to officers on each scenario. We are proud to once again be able to partner with Chief Rosa and our Billerica Police Department colleagues to make this training available.”

“We are grateful for the partnership and support we continually receive from Sheriff Koutoujian and his staff at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office,” said Chief Rosa. “This type of training is invaluable in keeping our officers’ knowledge, skills and abilities at a high level of development. Thanks to the unique features of the Mobile Training Center, our officers are able to use their actual tools in real-time scenarios with an emphasis on de-escalation as the preferred outcome. We consistently receive positive feedback from all of our officers after the training.”

The MTC was purchased by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office with federal grant funds in 2010 and has been utilized by numerous local municipal and university police departments. In 2020, more than 875 officers participated in trainings in the MTC.

Billerica PD – MTC2: A member of the Billerica Police Department participates in a traffic stop scenario inside the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Mobile Training Center during the week of February 14-20. Photo courtesy of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office

 

Billerica PD – MTC Group: Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Officer Edward Welch (from left to right), Billerica Police Patrolman Rich Avant, Police Billerica Police Chief Daniel Rosa and Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian during a visit to the Mobile Training Center. Photo courtesy of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office

Front Line Regional Police Collaborative Expands Mental Health Support for Staff and Community and announces ‘One Stop Shop’ Online Mental Health Resource to deal with effects of COVID

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The Front Line Initiative integrates self-care prevention platform from CredibleMind into mental health support program in Tewksbury, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut and Tyngsborough Massachusetts

January 15, 2021— With citizens and police staff grappling with the confluence of a pandemic, civil unrest, and financial insecurity, the Front Line Initiative has expanded its spectrum of mental health services and programs to include CredibleMind’s self-care prevention platform. The Initiative currently helps provide residents of Chelmsford, Billerica, Dracut, Tewksbury and Tyngsborough, Massachusetts with access to mental health clinicians and peer support staff. The Initiative, thus far, has saved millions of dollars in emergency room diversion and criminal custody diversion costs. Now the Initiative wants to decrease the overall incidence by expanding from treating the crisis to preventing the illness crisis through self-care.

Facing access and stigma issues, self-care approaches have become a fundamental pillar of mental health, widening access to well-being strategies, and reducing the burden on the current care network. Self-care emphasizes the active role of people in purposeful and continuous care, helping create more positive and resilient individuals. CredibleMind brings to the Initiative the most comprehensive self-care solution, promoting mental wellness, preventing mental illness, and intervening at the beginning of illness. The customized platform provides education and supportive interventions to reduce or eliminate risk factors throughout the community and police force.

“Since 2016 we’ve been providing our communities with a direct connection to behavioral health and substance use services in a whole-person, trauma-informed way,” said Matthew Page-Shelton, M.F.A, M.Ed., LMHC, Regional Director of The Front Line Initiative. “The pandemic has only amplified how essential this support is and CredibleMind is a key component to broadening our reach and integrating prevention and early intervention strategies,” he added.

“We have seen first-hand how the stressors of today’s fast paced life have impacted our community’s health and well-being. As a collaborative, we are excited to offer these proven internet based self-help tools to our community, bringing the power of safe and immediate access to a range of self-care prevention platforms to everyone with access to a computer”, says Chief Daniel Rosa.

“Given recent tensions and the plethora of current health, social and economic stressors, it’s an important strategy to proactively support the mental health of both the police force and community served,” said Deryk Van Brunt, Ph.D., and CEO of CredibleMind. “With the vast majority of people seeking mental health interventions on their own, CredibleMind provides the Initiative a personalized approach for navigating thousands of evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention self-care strategies.”

“As feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability, anxiety, isolation and loneliness are taking their toll on citizens across our communities we felt it was important to seek out new innovative ways of engaging with our communities,” Matthew Page-Shelton Regional Director for Front Line stated. “95% of those individuals will reach out online to look for information.”

With over 240 topics CredibleMind provides access to a wide range of evidence-based resources that are not meant to replace appropriate professional in-person care, but as a tool to find information. All information accessed and submitted on the online resource by residents is confidential and anonymous.

This new online resource can be accessed as of January 15th 2021 at https://frontline.crediblemind.com

Billerica Police Welcomes Newest Police Officer

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Billerica – The Billerica Police Department is honored to announce the appointment of its newest Police Officer, Jian Yi Xu. Police Officer Xu will spend the next four weeks in an abbreviated field training program where he will be assigned to three separate certified Field Training Officers from the Billerica Police. Officer Xu comes to us from the Springfield Police Department where he worked for the past two years as a full-time Police Officer. Prior to that he spent three years as a Special Police Officer with the Billerica Police and thirteen years with the Billerica Emergency Management Police where he volunteered hundreds of hours serving the Town of Billerica in special events and natural disaster support. Officer Xu holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Evergreen State College in Washington in the field of Psychology. Officer Xu lives in Billerica with his son, girlfriend and parents. He is fluent in Mandarin and was born in Beijing, China.

Barricaded Subject Investigation Resolved

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Billerica – On Friday, January 8, 2021, at approximately 0830 AM, the Billerica Police Department received a frantic call reporting an individual had possibly shot himself in the area of 7 Bridge Street, which is a commercial building consisting of various independent businesses. The caller explained that they were not on site and had been contacted by another witness who was still on scene. Within minutes of the report, police arrived on scene and met with the witness. Police subsequently learned that an armed and emotionally disturbed adult male was currently located inside a mobile home trailer parked on the site. Police were informed by the witness that the involved party had just discharged a weapon while inside the mobile home trailer and their condition was unknown. As police attempted to enter the trailer to check on the well-being of the involved party, they quickly determined the subject was alive, agitated and highly emotional and had barricaded themselves inside the trailer. Due to the obvious safety concerns for the community, which included a bordering residential neighborhood along with a McDonald’s Restaurant abutting the incident location, police quickly decided to issue a shelter-in-place order to surrounding homes and businesses while also shutting down vehicular traffic on Bridge Street. A request for assistance was made for additional emergency resources, including EMS and Fire, along with NEMLEC and the Massachusetts State Police. As part of the NEMLEC response, trained Negotiators were utilized to establish communication with the armed, emotionally disturbed individual, who was barricaded inside the trailer. After approximately 90 minutes of negotiation, the subject surrendered peacefully and was placed into protective custody for transportation to Lowell General Hospital, Saints Campus, for a medical and mental health evaluation. Nobody was injured as a result of this incident.

As a result of the above events, the Billerica Police are actively evaluating potential criminal charges related to the subject’s actions, including possession and discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, in violation of MGL Chapter 269 Section 12E, as well as other potential violations of the Massachusetts General Laws.

Suspects Arrested in Day-Time in Progress Burglary

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Billerica – On Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at approximately 10:45 AM, the Billerica Police received a call from an observant resident who reported a potential burglary taking place at 9 Belmont Road, Billerica. The reporting party described seeing a suspicious vehicle enter the driveway and then pull away, shortly after which they observed four individuals attempting to force entry into the home. Officers were immediately dispatched to the area to investigate, arriving within minutes of the call. While arriving on scene, Officers were updated that the four suspects had entered the residence but that two had just fled out of the front door and were headed away from the residence on foot. These two suspects were detained by arriving Officers as additional police units arrived on scene to check the residence. Officers then observed two additional suspects fleeing towards the woods from the rear of the residence. After failing to comply with orders from the Officers to stop, a foot pursuit ensued continuing into a wooded area and across a small water creek where the two suspects were apprehended without incident.

It was subsequently determined that the suspects had forced entry into the home and stolen property, including electronics and a loaded firearm that was legally licensed to a resident living at the residence. With the assistance of Billerica K9 Officer Magliozzi and his partner Skye, the firearm was quickly located, concealed within a snowbank in close proximity to the apprehended fleeing suspects. As a result of the above incident, two adults and two juveniles were arrested and returned to the Billerica Police Department for processing. The four individuals are being held in custody on high cash bail and will be arraigned tomorrow, December 24, 2020 at the Lowell Justice Center in both the District and Juvenile Courts. The two adults arrested are identified as Vonte Harris, 26, of Strafford, CT and Michael Metcalf, 31, of Bridgeport, CT. Both are charged with multiple offenses including Breaking and Entry in the Daytime with Intent to Commit a Felony as well as numerous weapons charges. The two juveniles are also being charged with Breaking and Entry in the Daytime with Intent to Commit a Felony. Their identities are not being released due to their ages, however, both also live out of state. It is believed this was a random day-time burglary that was thwarted thanks to an observant resident who took the time to report suspicious activity.

**All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Any additional questions should be directed to Deputy Chief Roy Frost, 978-215-9653.

Halloween 2020

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The Town has been monitoring the COVID 19 situation very closely with respect to the upcoming Halloween Holiday. The Town is currently a yellow (moderate risk) community. This means the Town is averaging less than 8 cases per 100,000 people over seven days (6.9). As evident in the graph above the town’s risk level has increased steadily since September 11th. There have been isolated cases in the schools in remote settings only. This is a positive indicator in that the Town has not had to quarantine large groups in school settings. This is also evidence that the Hybrid model is working and does help to prevent spread.

At this time, the Town is anticipating that Halloween will go on with hours of 5:00PM to 8:00PM for trick or treating. The Town will be posting recommended guidelines sanctioned by the CDC to follow for Halloween.