Cohasset Officer Injured in Crash

HINGHAM – A Cohasset police officer was treated for minor injuries after a Friday morning crash on Route 3A totaled his cruiser and sent a second driver to the hospital.
Police said the officer, John Harrington, was heading south on Route 3A a little before 9:30 a.m (7/1/16) after dropping two prisoners off at Quincy District Court when his cruiser was hit by a 2014 GMC Arcadia turning left onto Fottler Road while heading north. Police said the GMC sustained “substantial damage” in the crash and the driver was taken to South Shore Hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries.
Police said Harrington was also treated at the hospital for injuries from an airbag that deployed in the crash.
Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said in a statement that he was “very thankful that our officer and the other driver were not seriously injured.”
Hingham Police Sgt. Steven Dearth said the driver of SUV, identified as a 53-year-old Hingham woman, is being cited for failure to yield the right of way while making a left turn. Hingham Police are investigating the collision.

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Cohasset Safe Harbor to Present “Drug Story Theater”

Special Evening Performance of “Drug Story Theater” in Cohasset on May 5: Parents and Kids Encouraged to Attend

Lifesaving Narcan Training to be offered in a private setting

 

Cohasset, Mass., April 16, 2016 – All are invited to a free presentation of Drug Story Theater in the Cohasset Middle/High School Auditorium on Thursday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. While Cohasset Middle and High School students will attend separate presentations of the show that day during assembly periods, the evening show is for adults and children age 10 and up. All three performances are made possible through generous funding by the Cohasset Education Foundation (CEF), with coordination by the Safe Harbor Coalition and the Cohasset Middle/High School administration and health education team.

 

About Drug Story Theater

Drug Story Theater was first performed in 2015 in Plymouth and has been sharing its real teen experiences to audiences ever since. The actors are all in recovery and are able to share their personal stories of how they got in and out of drugs. The concept is the brainchild of Dr. Joe Shrand who realized that school assemblies about drug abuse presented by adults to kids just weren’t working. “So the treatment of one prevents the addiction of many,” says Shrand, a Marshfield resident and medical director of CASTLE (Clean And Sober Teens Living Empowered), a short-term treatment facility in Brockton. The presentation includes the stories of five teens and two parents and each have a story to share that in at least one way will resonate with each person in the audience.

 

Drug Story Theater takes teenagers in the early stages of recovery from drugs and alcohol, teaches them improvisational theater and engages them in psychodrama, to explore their personal stories. The teens then create their own shows about the seduction of, addiction to, and recovery from drugs and alcohol. They weave their stories into a theatrical piece and perform for middle and high school audiences so the treatment of one becomes the prevention of many.

 

The program’s innovative approach to decreasing adolescent substance abuse capitalizes on and integrates current knowledge of adolescent brain development into all stages of the program: from therapeutic group sessions, improvisational exercises, and family involvement, to story development, script writing, rehearsing, and culminating in performing the teen’s own stories in front of live audiences. After each performance, teens participate in a Questions & Answers period with the audience.

 

About Safe Harbor Cohasset Coalition

Since July 2014, Safe Harbor Cohasset has been working to promote awareness and implement resources to help make an impact on the substance abuse in the community. Co-founded by Christine Murphy and Marita Carpenter, who is also president of the South Shore Service League, the group has over 60 founding members from across the spectrum in the community, including town and school leaders, teachers, nurses, parents, clergy, police and fire personnel, as well as concerned citizens.

 

Since then, the group has worked to foster a strong and inclusive community that encourages healthy, educated and responsible choices about drug and alcohol use. The mission is supported by evidenced based, prevention focused, sustainable policies and programs. To learn more, and to find resources for both parents and teens, visit the Safe Harbor website at safeharborcohasset.org. Keep up to date on the latest news and trends by following Safe Harbor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/safeharborcohasset and on Twitter @cohsafeharbor.Cohasset

Cohasset police officers get the OK on Taser carry

COHASSET –  Selectmen say it’s not up to them whether Cohasset Police should get the Tasers they’ve asked for. Officials and citizens agreed, however, that the request should be granted.

Capital Budget Committee took a contingent vote last week supporting the purchase, provided that selectmen were in favor. Now that the community and selectmen have given their blessing, the decision is made: like their neighbors in Hull and Marshfield, Cohasset police will be equipped with Tasers.

A Taser can create distance and de-escalate a violent situation. The nitrogen-propelled probes can hit a subject with perfect accuracy from 25 feet and deliver a five-second shock, disarming the subject and giving an officer time to move in and subdue them.

This is useful if the subject has a knife, as may be the case if domestic violence or drugs are involved. These kinds of calls are more common than people think because, to protect the identity of the innocent, domestic and mental health calls are no longer shared with the press.

“I was surprised to hear that police have been in situations where their life was endangered and they had to draw their weapons, even since January,” said Steve Gaumer, chairman of the board. “Somebody suffering from a variety of issues may act in a way that is irrational.”

Current non-lethal options – pepper spray or a nightstick – can only be used at close range, putting officers and criminal subjects at greater risk. Communities across the state have already equipped their officers with Tasers, and statistics show reduced harm to both officers and criminal subjects.

Police Chief Bill Quigley first pitched the idea to selectmen at their March 29th meeting. The board followed up on April 6th after giving the public an opportunity to speak up about any concerns.

Selectmen received written correspondence and phone calls over the course of the week. Some questioned whether Cohasset needed to give law enforcement officers such a dramatic weapon.

Many of these fears, however, seemed to be based on the over-dramatization of Tasers on TV. The majority of citizens who reached out favored the proposal, as long as appropriate training would be provided.

Last week, Chief Quigley assured the board that officers would be trained to use the weapon appropriately – and just as importantly, they would be trained not to use it unless absolutely necessary, just like a firearm.

Selectmen decided on April 6th that they would not take any action or vote regarding a policy on Tasers for Cohasset police, saying that police and fire policies have never been their purview and it would be inappropriate to treat this matter any differently.

Instead, they said, it should fall to the Advisory Committee to determine whether the purchase makes financial sense, and to the Town Manager and Police Chief to determine the town’s true need. It also falls to those parties to regulate use and training surrounding the new weapons.

Follow Amanda on Twitter for updates: @MarinerAmandaT

Cohasset police officer helps with medical emergency on flight

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COHASSET
Officer Paul Wilson is in Atlanta representing the Cohasset Police Department at the National Opioid Conference. District Attorney Michael Morrissey was gracious enough to extend an invitation to Officer Wilson and pay his tuition to the conference.

The following email was sent to Chief William Quigley from a flight attendant on Officer Wilson’s Delta flight Sunday night (March 27).

Dear Chief William Quigley:
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing because of an outstanding officer (who was off duty) rose to the challenge when one could have heard a pin drop (on one of the loudest planes).
Officer Paul Wilson was flying on Delta when we had a medical emergency onboard. After we made an announcement requesting assistance from any Doctor onboard, there was no response. I then made an announcement requesting anyone in the medical field, nurse or EMT.
Officer Wilson graciously came to the back. When he offered his service, I immediately questioned him (and surprised him) by asking to see his credentials. You never can be too careful, so I checked his badge and license.
We had a very sick young lady and like a professional, Officer Wilson used his experience and knowledge to assess the situation. He was careful and calm, instantly creating a safe and secure atmosphere.
It was as if he were part of the crew — communicating, assessing and evaluating the incidence. He was helpful and attentive. Officer Wilson kept an eye on this traveler throughout the remainder of the flight — even during final descent and after landing.
In today’s world where so much hate and terror are manifested, it’s truly a blessing to know that there are people like Officer Wilson that are willing to offer help without expecting anything in return.
He is an example of an outstanding American and is a great representation of the Cohasset Police Department. The members of law enforcement risk their lives every day but even off duty, Officer Wilson chose to be a hero for the greater good of our mankind.
Thank you for instilling faith and hope in our society. For this, I truly thank you and I know that sick young lady and the rest of my crew thanks you as well, Officer Wilson.
Virginia Estelle Mathios

Suspect Charged in Alleged Pistol Whipping

COHASSET
Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a 25-year-old Hull man, James Reichardt of 48 Bates St., who is alleged to have pistol-whipped another man over a drug deal gone badly on Saturday (Jan. 16) around 10:25 p.m. on the steps of St. Stephen’s Church on S. Main Street.
The arrest warrant was served on Reichardt at the Bridgewater Correctional Complex where he is serving 30-days in custody on an unrelated matter.
A Cohasset couple on their way home from dinner witnessed the alleged assault.
Police responded to the scene on a report of two men fighting, one of whom may have had a firearm.
Upon arrival, police found a 33-year-old Hull man bleeding profusely with blunt-force trauma to the left side of his face near his eye and to the back of his head.
Investigation revealed the alleged victim had set up a drug deal with Reichardt and they planned to meet on the stairs of the church. The two met up that night and Reichardt allegedly stole a quantity of marijuana and sugar cubes injected with LSD from the alleged victim and allegedly hit him on the head the handgun.
Reichardt, who formerly lived in Cohasset, is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (handgun); armed robbery with a firearm; and assault and battery.
Assisting Cohasset police detectives with the investigation were detectives from Hingham and Hull police, along with Special Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (a federal agency) and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department.
Cohasset Police Chief Bill Quigley praised the tenacity and resolve of his detectives saying, “ This was a solid investigation that resulted in a person with a penchant for violence being kept off of the streets.”