The Wellesley Police and Fire chiefs shared quarterly updates near the start of the Jan. 13 Select Board meeting, and as usual they are thinking ahead. In this case, to both the Boston Marathon and the men’s soccer World Cup, the latter of which will have matches this summer at the rebranded Boston Stadium in Foxborough, and at least one team plans to train in Wellesley.
In the past, we’ve seen Italy’s AS Roma practice at Wellesley College.
Police Chief Scott Whittemore said Wellesley police will have a significant role either locally or regionally through the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council. “On game day it will be all hands on deck [for METRO-LEC] whenever there’s a match at Gillette,” he said, adding that probably five to eight Wellesley officers will be assigned. “There’s a strong possibility there will be a more local presence,” he said.
Speaking of the local colleges, Whittemore said the police are working closely with all three—Babson, MassBay, and Wellesley College—on security. Wellesley College is working to allow Wellesley Police 24/7 access to its buildings, as the force already has with Babson for years.
The police also conduct security training with the private and public schools in town, and with local houses of worship. The vacated Upham Elementary School has proven invaluable for police training as well, such as for active shooter exercises.
Back to sports, a few marathon planning meetings are already taking place each week, Whittemore said. The Boston Marathon runs through Wellesley on April 20.
Whittemore and other town departments and groups are celebrating a successful e-bike safety campaign. He said calls about e-bike concerns dropped off significantly in September after the education push started.
Both the police and fire departments are also celebrating their hiring situations. The police reclassified some jobs, and are beefing up their IT personnel. There are two police officer openings, and recruiting has begun to encourage people to take an exam this spring.
A firefighter just graduated from the academy, and Mortarelli said he’s helpful he’ll be bringing four new firefighters before the Select Board soon to fill out his roster. Wellesley Fire attracted a big showing for its most recently offered exam.
The department has made major strides with software updates, including for an automated alerting system that’s now live.
The other big news from the Fire Department is that its newest engine has arrived.
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