News and Events

December 27, 2009:  Fires Reported Around City, 2 Killed

On Sunday, December 27, 2009, Northampton Fire and Police Department personnel, assisted by several mutual aid communities, responded to nine separate suspicious fires involving five structures and numerous cars in the greater downtown area of the City.  These calls came in within a 75 minute period, between 2:00 AM and 3:15 AM.  An investigation into the circumstances leading to the cause and origin of all of the fires is being conducted by the State Fire Marshall's Office, in conjunction with fire investigators from the Northampton Fire Department, Detectives with the Northampton Police Department, Investigators with the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit and with Crime Scene Service Personnel from the Northampton Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory.
One of the structures, located at 17 Fair Street, was fully engulfed when emergency personnel arrived.  Two individuals were located by rescue personnel on the first floor of the home and were confirmed dead.
Investigators are seeking the public's assistance.  Anyone with information concerning these recent fires is encouraged to call investigators at 587-1100 (Northampton Public Safety Dispatch) or 586-5150 (Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit) or 1-800-682-9229 (Arson Watch Reward Program).
The public is also encouraged to keep all doors and windows locked, keep discarded furniture, firewood, leaves and debris away from the exterior of their homes, lock all car doors, keep property well lit at night and report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.

December, 2009:  Alcohol Compliance Check

On Friday, December 11, 2009, Officers from the Northampton Police Department, along with representatives from the Hampshire Educational Collaborative, worked together to conduct a citywide compliance check of all establishments that are licensed to sell alcohol.  Over 80 establishments were checked and all but two were found to be in compliance with Mass. General Law that requires employees to verify the age of certain customers.

December, 2009:  Captain Ken Patenaude Retires and Personnel are Promoted

On January 11, 2010, Captain Ken Patenaude will be retiring from the department after 31 years of service.  Captain Patenaude has served in various capacities, including leading the Detective Bureau for many years.  His contributions to the department have significantly improved the quality of service that our agency is able to provide.  His retirement from the department has resulted in several promotions.  Scott Savino has been selected to be the new Captain of Operations.  Dorothy Clayton has been selected to be the new dayshift Lieutenant.  Craig Kirouac has been selected to be the new midnight Patrol Sergeant.  All of these promotions will take place in January, 2010. 

November, 2009:  Officer Deirdre Yasutomo Assigned to the Detective Bureau

Deirdre Yasutomo started with the department in 2007.  She has worked as a patrol officer and more recently was assigned to the Bicycle Patrol Unit.  She has been selected to fill the vacant Detective position left by David Vitkus after his retirement.  She is a sexual assault investigator and will be assigned to the evening shift.

October, 2009:  Detective David Vitkus Retires

The department announces the retirement of Detective David Vitkus.  Det. Vitkus served 21 years as a Northampton Police Officer.  The majority of those years he spent assigned to the Detective Bureau, where he specialized in computer crimes and arson investigations.  Outside of his duties as a Detective, David was a certified Defensive Tactics instructor and the department's primary computer technician.  We all wish David well in his life after NPD.

September, 2009:  NPD Citizen Police Academy is Accepting Applications

As of September 1, 2009, we are now accepting applications for the 2010 Citizen Police Academy.  The 2010 class will run from February 16, 2010 to April 20, 2010.  Classes will take place every Tuesday night, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.  Further information about this program can be found under the Community Services section of this website.  The CPA has been very popular in the past and the 20 seats fill up quickly.  Anyone interested in participating in this program should apply as soon as possible.  

August, 2009:  NPD Joins "A Child is Missing" Program

The Northampton Police Department is pleased to announce that we have joined the "A Child is Missing" program based in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  This is a free program established in 1997 which assists police departments in search/early recovery of ALL missing persons.  The program is available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.  However, most phone calls are made between 7:00 AM and 10:30 PM. 

How it works:  The police contact the ACIM call center to provide detailed information on the missing person and where they were last seen.  The ACIM technician uses computer mapping and satellite imagery to identify the calling area.  Within 15 minutes an alert is phoned to area homes/businesses within the target area.  Approximately 1,000 messages are sent in one minute with a 98% listening rate.  These alerts may be left on answering machines and can be disseminated in different languages.  These alerts cannot be placed to cell phones and unlisted numbers unless the person contacts ACIM directly to be added to their list. 

For further information or to contact the ACIM program to add your unlisted phone number and/or cell phone number to their list, please visit their website at:  www.achildismissing.org.  Pamphlets are also available by contacting SSgt. Dorothy Clayton.

July, 2009:  Police Conduct 5-weeks of Fundraising

The Northampton Police Association is conducting a 5-week telephone fundraiser to support youth activities and charities.  This will begin on July 27.  Operators will be calling residences weekdays from 9AM to 7PM.  The callers are fundraising contractors from TCI America of Seekonk and are working out of an office in Florence.  Anyone with questions or concerns should contact Lt. Scott Savino or SSgt. Andrew Trushaw at 587-1100.  

June, 2009:  New Officers Complete Their Training

In the first week of July, six new officers will begin working on their own after completing a 22-week police academy and a four month Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP).  The new officers are Patrick Moody, Adam Van Buskirk, Brian Letzeisen, Thomas Briotta, Marc Scola and Reid Booth.  The FTEP is extremely challenging and we are pleased that all six Officers successfully completed this rigorous portion of their training.

May, 2009:  Northampton Police Department is Accredited

On May 7, 2009, the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission unanimously voted to approve the Northampton Police Department for re-accreditation.  The department was awarded a certificate of accreditation to recognize this accomplishment.  We are extremely proud of our status as an accredited police department as it illustrates the department's commitment to professional police practices.  Accreditation is valid for three years.  For further information about police accreditation, go to the Accreditation section of this website.  A special note of thanks to Capt. Patenaude, Lt. Savino, D/Lt. Watson and Maryann Keating for all of their efforts in preparing the department for re-accreditation.

April, 2009:  21 People Graduate from the Citizen Police Academy

On April 21, 2009, 21 people graduated from the department's Citizen Police Academy (CPA).  The CPA is a community education program that occurs one night a week over a 10-week period.  Students listen to lectures, participate in hands-on activities, watch demonstrations and review actual cases.  The goal of the program is to provide participants with a better understanding of police work in general and specifically, at NPD.  Two participants of this year's CPA were Kathy Reynolds and Alan Rosko from ABC40/Fox6 News.  They attended each week and created weekly coverage of the academy to their viewers.  We thank them and all of the participants of the CPA for their involvement and interest in our department.  For further information on the CPA program visit the Community Services section of this website.

March, 2009:  Northampton Police Recruits Graduate

On March 19, 2009, six newly hired Northampton police officers graduated from the Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts.  The six officers are now completing the 14-week Field Training and Evaluation Program and are scheduled to be working on their own in mid-July, 2009.

March, 2009: Northampton Police Pass Accreditation Assessment

On February 25, 26 and 27th, 2009, members of an accreditation assessment team conducted an in-house assessment. The department passed all 253 of the mandatory standards and 79 of the optional standards. The assessment team is recommending the department for re-accreditation to the full Commission in May for a vote at their meeting.

February, 2009: Northampton Police Association Ball

The Northampton Police Association Ball will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Northampton. Cocktail hour will begin at 6:00 PM and dinner will be served promptly at 7:30 PM. A DJ will provide music and entertainment until 11:30 PM. This is a semi-formal event. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased from Lt. Savino, SSgt. Trushaw or Sgt. Powers. Checks should be made out to the Northampton Police Association. Tickets are no longer available as this event has already occurred.

January, 2009: Police Conduct Alcohol License Compliance Checks

On Wednesday, January 14, 2009, members of the Northampton Police Department, along with investigators from the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABCC), and in conjunction with the Hampshire Educational Collaborative, conducted compliance checks at all businesses that hold licenses to sell alcoholic beverages in Northampton. In total 76 establishments were checked and all but 3 were in compliance. Those businesses that were not in compliance were reported to the City of Northampton License Commission.

January, 2009: Officers Will Be Wearing Anniversary Badges for 2009

Members of the Northampton Police Department are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the agency. In recognition of these many years of police service, Sergeant John Cartledge took on the task of designing and obtaining new anniversary badges that mark this historic occasion. The badges are identical in size and shape, but have the addition of an American flag, each officer's personnel number and '125 Years.' The badges will be worn for the 2009 calendar year and will then be retired. We thank Sergeant Cartledge for his time and effort.

January, 2009: Citizen Police Academy

The Northampton Police Department's Citizen Police Academy is scheduled to begin February 17, 2009 and will run on Tuesday evenings from 6PM-9PM until April 21, 2009. Anyone interested in participating in this program should go to the Citizen Police Academy portion of our website for detailed information. The application form can be downloaded from there. As of February, 2009, the Citizen Police Academy is underway and we are not currently accepting applications.

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