arlington police department

Arlington Police Arrest and Charge Man with Trafficking Methamphetamine

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Arlington Police Department
Julie Flaherty, Acting Chief of Police
112 Mystic St.
Arlington, MA 02474

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Arlington Police Arrest and Charge Man with Trafficking Methamphetamine

ARLINGTON — Acting Chief of Police Julie Flaherty reports that the Arlington Police Department, as part of the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force, executed a search warrant at a local residence and arrested one man.

JOSEPH THEODORE RYAN, AGE 46, OF ARLINGTON was charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine.

At approximately 9:51 a.m. Tuesday, Arlington officers and members of the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at an apartment on Windsor Street.

Inside the apartment, police located and seized multiple plastic baggies and containers of methamphetamine, multiple digital scales, a bag of blue pills, a bag of yellow pills, drug packaging materials and over $4,000 in U.S. currency.

RYAN was taken into custody without incident. He will be arraigned this afternoon at Cambridge District Court.

These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

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Arlington Police Department’s Diane Welch Named Massachusetts Animal Control Officer of the Year 

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Arlington Police Department
Julie Flaherty, Acting Chief of Police
112 Mystic St.
Arlington, MA 02474

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Arlington Police Department’s Diane Welch Named Massachusetts Animal Control Officer of the Year 

ARLINGTON— Acting Chief Julie Flaherty is pleased to announce that Officer Diane Welch has been named Massachusetts Animal Control Officer of the Year 2019.

Nominated for the award by Arlington residents, ACO Welch will be recognized at the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts (ACOAM) Certification Academy Graduation Ceremony and Awards Banquet on Friday, Oct. 25 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Marlborough, along with co-recipient of the award, Milton Police Department ACO Nancy Bersani. 

ACO Welch will be among those graduating from the ACOAM Certification Academy, a 96 hour, 12 week program which trains officers in a variety of areas, including animal capture techniques and strategies, livestock and exotic animal handling, wildlife issues, dog bite prevention, animal health inspector duties, rabies protocol and local bylaws and ordinances.

“We’re incredibly proud of ACO Welch, and the reputation she has built with our community as a kind, skilled animal control officer,” Acting Chief Flaherty said. “We are so fortunate to have an ACO here in Arlington who has an incredible talent for working with animals, and also has the drive to include and educate our community as well.”

The annual Massachussetts ACO of the Year award is given by the Animal Rescue League of Boston and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It recognizes exemplary officers who have a dedicated, humane attitude, enforce pet responsibility laws appropriately, conduct public awareness and human education programs and develop partnerships with other agencies that work with animals.

ACO Welch was sworn in as the town’s ACO in July 2018, and since then has become well known in Arlington for her expertise working with animals and sense of community. Since she began her role in Arlington, ACO Welch has worked with local volunteers and trained them to transport injured animals to animal hospitals and assist when cats and dogs are missing or found, crafted educational programming for residents including a ‘Living with Coyotes’ event, and has utilized social media to further promote the humane treatment of animals and provide additional educational opportunities. Each month, she posts a Facebook newsletter, including videos of animals, at the Facebook page @ArlingtonMassachusettsAnimalControl.

Additionally, ACO Welch has made numerous visits to schools and local scout troops to discuss animal care and wildlife support.

“In my 63 years, spent in rural, urban, and suburban settings in Massachusetts, I cannot think of another ACO I have known by name. I have certainly called them on occasion, and while almost all were helpful, none had the community presence and obvious total commitment to animals and to people that Diane Welch has,” wrote Amanda Gazin, an Arlington resident, in the application nominating ACO Welch for the award.

ACO Welch has a wealth of experience working with animals, and has been a state and federally licensed falconer for 25 years. She has been called upon by the Massachusetts State Police numerous times to help capture and rescue injured birds of prey in the Danvers area, and previously served as the president of the Massachusetts Falconry and Hawk Trust. She also owns a dog walking and training business, and has several years of experience working for the Burlington Science Center, where she cared for more than 60 animals, including snapping turtles and owls.

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Arlington Police Department To Reintroduce Car Seat Safety Inspections

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Arlington Police Department
Julie Flaherty, Acting Chief of Police
112 Mystic St.
Arlington, MA 02474

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Arlington Police Department To Reintroduce Car Seat Safety Inspections

ARLINGTON — Acting Chief Julie Flaherty is pleased to announce that the Arlington Police Department is reintroducing car seat safety inspections after Officers Joseph Canniff and Daniel Styffe recently became certified child safety seat technicians.

In September, Officers Canniff and Styffe took the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training course, sponsored by Safe Kids Worldwide, to become certified child safety seat inspectors. Certified inspectors can help determine if your car seat is appropriate for your child’s age and size, can ensure that your safety seat is properly installed and can answer questions about child safety seats.

Residents are encouraged to have their car seats inspected by a certified technician. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 59 percent of children’s car seats are installed incorrectly.

To schedule an inspection, Arlington residents can email [email protected] with their phone number and availability for an appointment. An officer will then coordinate an appointment to inspect the car seat.

Appointments will be held at the Arlington Police Department at 112 Mystic St. The car seat must already be installed in order to be inspected.

“We are excited to offer this program once again as another way to serve our community,” Acting Chief Flaherty said. “We’re pleased that Officers Caniff and Styffe have taken the initiative to become certified and we’re happy to be able to assist residents by making sure that their child’s seat is installed correctly to ensure they’re best protected.”

Additional information on Arlington Police Department’s Car Seat Installation program can be found here.

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Arlington Police Provide Update on Medication Disposal Drop Box

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Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Arlington Police Provide Update on Medication Disposal Drop Box

Thousands of Pounds of Unused Prescription Drugs Disposed of Since 2012

ARLINGTON — Acting Chief Julie Flaherty and Arlington Youth Health and Safety Coalition (AYHSC) Director Karen Koretsky wish to share an update on the success of the community’s Medication Disposal Drop Box.

In June 2012, the Arlington Police Department, in partnership with the AYHSC, installed a Medication Disposal Drop Box in the lobby of the Arlington Police Headquarters. The drop box allows Arlington residents to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired medications. The secure collection box is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Every six weeks APD’s Property Officer/Inspector takes the unwanted drugs that have been collected to a local incinerator for destruction, which helps to keep substances out of landfills or from being flushed down the drain. On average, the Inspector delivers approximately 220 pounds of medications to the incinerator every six weeks.

The department estimates that 1,900 pounds of unwanted medications are disposed of each year. Since the installation of the disposal box in 2012, an estimated 14,000 pounds of unwanted medications have been collected and destroyed.

“The collection site has fulfilled the need for an environmentally sound medication disposal option which helps to ensure that excess medications are kept out of the hands of people not meant to have them,” Acting Chief Flaherty said.

The collection box is part of Arlington’s continued efforts to reduce the supply of unwanted medications, especially those with a high potential for misuse, within the community.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2017, an estimated 18 million people misused prescription medications at least once during the previous year. Among youth, prescription drugs are the most widely abused illicit drugs after alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. Furthermore, studies show that the majority of youth obtain prescription drugs from friends and relatives, often without their knowledge.

Along with the 24/7 drop box, Arlington Police have participated in each of the DEA Drug Take Back events since September 2010. Since their first year participating, the department has taken in and disposed of approximately 2,500 pounds of medication.

APD and AYHSC also take steps to educate the community on the importance of properly disposing of medications.

“This multi-faceted approach to medication disposal is a fantastic initiative where several local partners work together to help improve the safety of the community and the environment,” Director Koretsky said. “September is recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as National Recovery Month, so this is a great time to raise awareness for proper medication disposal and its impact on preventing and reducing prescription drug abuse.”

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