Frederick Ryan, Chief of Police
112 Mystic St.
Arlington, MA 02474
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Arlington Police Department Among Honorees at Mass Incarceration Working Group’s Anniversary Celebration
ARLINGTON — Members of the Arlington Police Department were honored last weekend for their work to extend the department’s impartial policing practices and commitment to restorative justice rather than incarceration.
Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan, Capt. Julie Flaherty, Sgt. Brian Fennelley and Officers Dennis Mahoney and Michael Hogan all represented the department on Feb. 11 at an event hosted by the First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington’s Mass Incarceration Working Group.
The ceremony marked the group’s fifth anniversary and celebrated the progress that’s been made in that time to reduce mass incarceration in Massachusetts, as well as the evolution in the state’s approach to criminal justice.
“It’s become clear that incarceration alone is not a solution to the issues that face Arlington and every other community throughout Massachusetts,” Chief Ryan said. “We remain committed to fair and impartial policing and finding new and more meaningful ways to serve our community. Being tough on crime is relatively easy work; being smart on crime is difficult and labor intensive work but there is no question that smart policing has better outcomes. I’m grateful for the continued support of the Mass Incarceration Working Group.”
Chief Ryan serves as a board member with Communities for Restorative Justice, which partners with area police departments to provide victims a forum to discuss the impacts of a crime on them, and allows offenders to understand and take responsibility for their actions in lieu of imprisonment.
He, along with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, has testified in front of state legislators advocating for broader access to restorative justice.
Chief Ryan also serves as a Co-Chairman of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, which empowers law enforcement agencies to direct those suffering from substance addictions toward recovery rather than into the criminal justice system.
State Sens. Will Brownsberger, Cindy Friedman and Jamie Eldridge, as well as state Reps. Sean Garballey and Dave Rogers were also honored at the anniversary celebration for their work on Beacon Hill to drive change statewide.
The event also featured a keynote address from attorney Rahsaan D. Hall, who serves as the director of the racial justice program for the American Civil Liberties Union of Masscahusetts and works to advocate for legislative solutions to racial justice issues.
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