A Letter of Thanks

Saturday morning, most of us awoke to unexpected, and certainly unwelcome, news that members of a militant group were in a standoff with police in Wakefield. Information was sparse and questions abounded. What we did know is that Wakefield police, emergency and other front-line employees were working cooperatively with local, state and regional authorities to address the incident. After hours of tense uncertainty, all suspects were peacefully taken into custody, despite reports of possessing significant firepower. This peaceful outcome was far from a foregone conclusion. The resolution was a direct result of hundreds of professional first responders drawing upon their extensive training and employing patience, respect and teamwork. Chief among them was our own Wakefield Police Department protecting their own streets and citizens. On behalf of the Wakefield Town Council, I want to sincerely thank our brave police officers and all town employees who quickly mobilized to search neighborhoods, barricade roadways, communicate updates, handle media, and generally remain on stand-by to do whatever was needed. I also want to thank responders from across the region who left their families on a holiday weekend to protect us. Finally, to those who were jolted awake by a terrifying “shelter in place” alert warning of armed suspects in their vicinity, thank you for heeding the warning. Your cooperation was critical to letting law enforcement successfully do their work. We all lost a bit of our innocence on Saturday morning, but we also became stronger as a community. We took care of each other, and for that, I could not be prouder. This 4th of July weekend, we truly witnessed bravery in action.

Published in Wakefield Daily Item, Tuesday, July 6, 2021