• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC

John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC

PR for Police, Fire, Schools and Municipal Government

  • About
    • About
    • Team
    • Jobs at JGPR
    • Internships
  • Services
    • Content
    • Strategy
    • Standards
    • COVID-19 Crisis Communications
    • Work With Us
  • Our Work
    • Portfolio
    • Sectors We Serve
  • News
    • COVID-19 News
    • Client News
    • JGPR News
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

SEMLEC Mourns the Death of Search and Rescue Hero John Borges

December 26, 2020 John Guilfoil Police News

December 26, 2020 by John Guilfoil

For immediate release
Officer John Borges (Left) was SEMLEC's "Go-To" Person for Search and Rescue Operations and Strategies and he was responsible for locating countless missing persons during his career, often working long hours past his shift without putting in for overtime.
Officer John Borges (Left) was SEMLEC’s “Go-To” Person for Search and Rescue Operations and Strategies and he was responsible for locating countless missing persons during his career, often working long hours past his shift without putting in for overtime.

TAUNTON — The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) joins the entire emergency responder community in mourning the death of Taunton Police Officer John Borges, who died Dec. 24 at age 49 after battling COVID-19.

Somerset Police Chief George McNeil, the control chief and head of the SEMLEC Search and Rescue Unit (SAR) recalled Officer Borges as the “glue” that held the team together and one of the region’s preeminent experts on search techniques.

“Officer Borges worked the midnight to 8 a.m. shift, and when there was an active search for missing person, he would regularly stay past his shift and continue to work, on his own time. He didn’t even put in for overtime,” Chief McNeil said. “I have been a police officer for 34 years, and I learned new things every time I worked with Officer Borges. He was excellent at his job–the job of finding lost people.”

Officer Borges was one of the founding members of SEMLEC SAR in 2003 and remained on the team through multiple control chiefs and leadership charges in Southern Massachusetts. He possessed a wealth of knowledge on missing persons cases. He was a search and rescue instructor who trained other first responders in the region, including state officials and first responders around the nation. He was also an expert and instruction in Incident Command Systems (ICS).

Chief McNeil recalled a case from 2009 in which a man went missing during a particularly cold night. There was a language barrier with the man’s family, as they only spoke Portuguese. Officer Borges was fluent in Portuguese and was able to bridge the communications gap with the family, an essential task that helped lead rescuers in the right direction. They found the man and reunited him with his family. 

“We were involved in many searches together, and when SEMLEC deployed for a search and rescue mission, the people of Southeastern Massachusetts could count on Officer Borges to be there, coordinating the effort to find a loved one,” Chief McNeil said. “He made our communities safer.”


According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, nearly 180 police officers have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. this year. These are people who cannot abide by stay at home advisories and cannot always be socially distant.

About SEMLEC:
We are a mutual aid consortium comprised of resources from the police departments of 30 cities and towns. We respond when requested by a chief of police to assist with search and rescue, special events, or major crimes. We also draw on some of the most talented police officers in the region to form the SEMLEC SWAT Team, which deploys when needed to save lives and protect the citizens of southeastern Massachusetts.
Our members are all sworn police officers from one of the 30 member communities. Our units respond only when called by one of the 30 chiefs of police in our region.

To learn more about SEMLEC, click here.

###

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Police News

About John Guilfoil

John Guilfoil is the founder and principal owner of JGPR.

Primary Sidebar

Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
Search and Rescue
Chief George McNeil, Control Chief
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 6179930003
Email: john@Jgpr.net

Email Updates

Email info@jgpr.net if you wish to be placed on a SPECIFIC email list for your beat, agency or community. Or enter your email address here to subscribe for ALL updates from JGPR and our clients.

Join 11,078 other subscribers

Recent News

  • Ludlow Fire Department Extinguishes House Fire, Urges Caution When Defrosting Pipes February 4, 2023
  • Nahant Fire Department Extinguishes House Fire February 4, 2023
  • Stow Fire Department Extinguishes Chimney Fire February 4, 2023
  • Rowley Police Department Reports Communications System Briefly Knocked Offline February 4, 2023
  • Easton Fire Department Extinguishes Two-Alarm House Fire February 4, 2023

Content. Strategy. Standards.

When you need help, turn to the award-winning team at the John Guilfoil Public Relations Agency.


Contact Us Work With Us

Footer

Always Open

Call us: 617-993-0003

We’re available 24/7/365.

Location

Main Office
Northern New England

8 Prospect St.
Georgetown, MA 01833
617-993-0003

Southern New England
719 Washington St.
Canton, MA 02021
781-428-3299

Award Winning

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Stay up-to-date with breaking JGPR client news.

Subscribe to this website

Email info@jgpr.net if you wish to be placed on a SPECIFIC email list for your beat, agency or community. Or enter your email address here to subscribe for ALL updates from JGPR and our clients.

Join 11,078 other subscribers
Copyright © 2023 John Guilfoil Public Relations, LLC Log in · Privacy Policy
 

Loading Comments...