From left, Police Chief Peter Bartlett and Officer Zachariah Coleman as Officer Coleman holds a Dracut Police Department Life Saving Award. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department) From left, Police Chief Peter Bartlett and Officer Alec DeSimone as Officer DeSimone holds a Dracut Police Department Life Saving Award. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department) Officer Kevin Steere is sworn in. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department) Officer Owen McAnespie hugs his mother, Cherly McAnespie, after she pinned on his badge. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department) Officer Leah Papageorgiou smiles as her father, Dunstable Police Sgt. Nick Papageorgiou, pins on her badge. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department) From left, Officer Owen McAnespie, Officer Aimee Levesque, Officer Leah Papageorgiou and Officer Kevin Steere. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department) Officer Aimee Levesque is sworn in by Town Clerk Jayne Boissonneault on Monday as Police Chief Peter Bartlett looks on at left. (Courtesy Dracut Police Department)
DRACUT — Chief Peter Bartlett is pleased to announce that the Dracut Police Department is welcoming four new police officers who were sworn in Monday, and recognizing several officers who saved lives in the past year.
In a ceremony held at Harvey J. Gagnon Harmony Hall on Monday morning, Dracut Town Clerk Jayne Boissonneault swore in four new officers who recently graduated from the Northern Essex Community College Police Academy.
Officer Leah Papageorgiou grew up in Dracut and graduated from Dracut High School. She graduated Suma Cum Laude from UMass Lowell with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology, and also earned her EMT and Advanced EMT certifications while working for Trinity EMS. Officer Papageorgiou’s father, Nick Papageorgiou, is a police sergeant in Dunstable.
Officer Owen McAnespie is a lifelong resident of Dracut who graduated from Dracut High School. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Westfield State University. Officer McAnespie previously worked for the Boston University Public Safety Division.
Officer Aimee Levesque was born in Dracut and graduated from Greater Lowell Technical High School. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from UMass Lowell. Officer Levesque is a former member of the Pelham Police Explorer Program, and was mentored by retired Pelham Police Lt. Brian McCarthy.
Officer Kevin Steere is a lifelong Dracut resident who graduated from Dracut High School. He earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Middlesex Community College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology from UMass Lowell. Officer Steere worked as a part-time dispatcher in Dracut from 2017 to 2020, and as a full-time dispatcher in Lowell from 2019 to 2022.
“As leaders of the community, you will perform your duties with the utmost professionalism and fairness for all citizens,” Chief Bartlett told the officers. “The patches on your shoulders and the badge on your chest are cloaked in immense power. You will learn to wield it with empathy, compassion, dignity and respect.”
Town Manager Ann Vandal and several members of the Board of Selectmen attended the event, which also included a recognition for several officers who saved lives over the past year.
Officers Zachariah Coleman and Paul Scribner were recognized for performing CPR and rescue breathing until paramedics arrived at a medical call on Spring Road on Oct. 5, 2022. The victim in the incident ultimately survived thanks in part to receiving prompt medical assistance.
Officers Jake Malandrino and Alec DeSimone were recognized for their response to a motor vehicle crash on Nov. 4, 2022, in which both men helped safely remove a subject from a car before performing CPR. The victim in the incident ultimately survived thanks in part to receiving prompt first aid.
“No officer comes to work each day and puts themselves in harm’s way for a pin or a ribbon. It is out of the sense of duty and the calling to service,” said Chief Bartlett. “However, when officers perform their duties with a level of distinction, it is incumbent upon the agency to recognize that outstanding performance, and I am proud to recognize several such performances here today.”