Public safety - Marblehead Current

Select Board approves ‘as needed’ parking bans for snow

24Oct

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Municipal Matters, Public safety, Travel, Uncategorized

Select Board approves ‘as needed’ parking bans for snow

The Select Board has voted to implement an "as needed" parking ban during snow emergencies. State Street is flanked by snow piles after a winter storm. The Marblehead Select Board voted in October 2023 to implement a new snow emergency parking ban policy, prohibiting on-street parking overnight during declared snow emergencies to aid snow removal efforts. Vehicles parked in violation would be ticketed and towed. COURTESY PHOTO / MASSMATT VIA FLICKR During a declared snow emergency, on-street parking will be prohibited starting at midnight the day of the expected storm through 7 a.m. If a snow emergency lasts more than one day, the parking ban will be in effect each night of the emergency. Vehicles parked on streets in violation of the ban are subject to ticketing and towing. The ...

POLICE LOG: Officers track down stolen moped, respond to complaint about pouncy pooch

23Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Police Log, Public safety

POLICE LOG: Officers track down stolen moped, respond to complaint about pouncy pooch

Excerpts from the Marblehead police log Oct. 13-17. Consistent with state law, Marblehead Police have adopted a policy of not providing media outlets reports related to incidents involving domestic violence, juveniles and matters that remain under investigation. Oct. 13 1:52 p.m. — Officer Dennis DeFelice spoke with a woman who stated her mother received a fraudulent call claiming the scammers could save her money on her cable bill. The scammers instructed her mother to mail a check to a post office box in Chicago to get the process started. The mother did not send any money or personal information. 7:22 p.m. — Officer Timothy Morley spoke to a woman who said she had received several fraudulent phone calls from an individual claiming to be from Chase Bank security. The all...

Select Board names 3 to traffic committee, struggles with depth of candidate pool

18Oct

By Kris OlsonNo Comments

Municipal Matters, Politics, Public safety, Top Stories

Select Board names 3 to traffic committee, struggles with depth of candidate pool

In what they agreed was an agonizingly difficult choice given the quality of the candidate pool, Select Board members chose David Kucharsky, Gary Hebert and Rick Smyers to fill the three public seats on the town’s new Traffic Safety Advisory Committee at their Oct. 11 meeting. Town Meeting created the committee by approving Article 49 on the warrant this past May. The article was sponsored by resident Dan Albert, who did doctoral work in transportation at the University of Michigan and has spent decades researching, studying and writing about transportation safety issues. Albert was among the 11 candidates for the committee interviewed by the Select Board, and he was not the only candidate with deep experience and a demonstrated passion for helping drivers, cyclists and pedestri...

7Oct

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Police Log, Public safety

POLICE LOG: MPD responds to fraud reports, a school driveway crash and a neighbor dispute

Excerpts from the Marblehead police log Sept. 26-Oct. 2. Consistent with state law, Marblehead Police have adopted a policy of not providing media outlets reports related to incidents involving domestic violence, juveniles and matters that remain under investigation. Sept. 26 7:44 a.m. — Officer Nicholas Michaud responded to a report of vandalism at a residence on Kimball Street. The officer met with the reporting party who stated that someone had allegedly sawed through a tree on their property overnight. The officer examined the tree, took photos and spoke with the reporting party about any potential suspects or video surveillance. 1:53 p.m. — Officer Andrew Clark spoke with a reporting party on Ticehurst Lane who stated they had fallen victim to an ongoing scam. The reporting ...

4Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Health, Local News, Public safety, Top Stories

Overdoses in town, new calls for help

Marblehead Police have responded to eight drug overdoses so far this year, two of them fatal. “Of the fatalities, one we believed to be opiates and the other cocaine,” Police Chief Dennis King told the Current. In 2022, police also responded to eight overdoses, including one fatality. All but two of those overdoses were Marblehead residents, King said, and ranged in age. Roughly two-thirds of victims were male, one-third female. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, opioid-related incidents among Marblehead residents jumped from nine in 2021 to 17 in 2022. The Board of Health is now providing free Narcan and fentanyl test strips. Fentanyl is a deadly opioid that is sometimes added to marijuana and other drugs. The test strips can iden...

Why your cell phone will be beeping at 2:20 p.m.

4Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Public safety, Top Stories

Why your cell phone will be beeping at 2:20 p.m.

Don't be surprised when you cell phone starts beeping today at 2:20 p.m. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is conducting a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireleness Emergency alerts. The WEA test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This is only the second nationwide test involving cell phones. Photo by Kerde Severin on Pexels.com Phones will receive this message: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions and last approximately one minute. "The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level," according to FEMA. ...

2Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Public safety, Top Stories

Accident sends juvenile on bike to hospital

A juvenile riding a bicycle was rushed to the hospital this morning after an accident involving a car at the corner of West Shore Drive and Shorewood Road. The juvenile was not wearing a helmet. The car was turning from West Shore onto Shorewood at 7:45 a.m. when it collided with the cyclist. Police Chief Dennis King tells the Current that the juvenile’s injuries were minor. The driver is not being cited. King said he remembers another car/bicycle accident on West Shore within the last year. It is a very busy area during school drop-off hours. “Since I’ve been here we’ve done a lot of selective enforcement for speeding,” King said. “There is a speed feedback sign by the Tower School and by the cemetery [on West Shore Drive].” King pointed out speeding was not a factor in this mor...

2Oct

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Police Log, Public safety

POLICE LOG: MPD responds to fraudulent checks, speeding car, debit account hack

Excerpts from the Marblehead police log Sept. 18-25. Consistent with state law, Marblehead Police have adopted a policy of not providing media outlets reports related to incidents involving domestic violence, juveniles and matters that remain under investigation. Sept. 20 1:32 p.m. — Officer Nicholas Michaud was dispatched to the station lobby concerning a fraud report. Upon arrival, the reporting party, a male, informed the officer that he is the owner of a Salem business. The individual reported that his bookkeeper discovered an unauthorized check written for $23,44.40 and a subsequent review revealed an earlier check written for $36,226. Both checks, which did not originate from his standard checkbook, were cashed on August 24. The reporting party communicated with his distrib...

More than a dozen capital projects underway or completed across Marblehead

27Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Municipal Matters, Public safety, Top Stories

More than a dozen capital projects underway or completed across Marblehead

The Select Board has approved several maintenance and improvement projects for town buildings and infrastructure in recent months — some of which have reached completion. A collage of the town's planned and completed infrastructure projects, funded by a $24.3 million debt-exclusion, capital improvement plans and COVID-19 relief dollars. CURRENT ILLUSTRATION / WILLIAM J. DOWD The projects are funded through a combination of sources, including Town Meeting appropriations, capital improvement budgets and federal COVID-19 relief dollars. However, many of the projects are funded by the $24.3 million debt-exclusion override voters passed in 2022. About half of that override — $12.5 million — is going toward repairing deteriorating roads and crumbling sidewalks. The town also allocated ...

27Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Police Log, Public safety, Uncategorized

POLICE LOG: A literal run-in with police in the MHS parking lot, plus a possible bike thief

Excerpts from the Marblehead police log Sept. 12-17. Consistent with state law, Marblehead Police have adopted a policy of not providing media outlets reports related to incidents involving domestic violence, juveniles and matters that remain under investigation. Sept. 12 6:15 p.m. — Officer Michael Farewell was dispatched to the station to meet with an individual regarding fraudulent work purportedly done on their garage door. The person reported hiring a company to install a new garage door motor valued at approximately $900. After the installation, the company allegedly advised the person that new "door springs" were needed, estimated at $550. An appointment was scheduled, and a technician allegedly replaced the door springs. The person wrote a check to an individual named Ne...