Wicked Local
The City Council continues to review public safety in Somerville, and recently heard from Somerville’s police and fire chiefs about how they staff their departments.
The discussion centered on two things: how the city can develop new models of public safety to unburden the police and fire departments, and how the city can ensure robust public safety in the meantime.
Both Acting Police Chief Charles Femino and Fire Chief Charles Breen noted the current dense and growing city population as reasoning for ensuring consistent staffing levels.
Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang pointed out the discussions around staffing the Fire Department are quite different than the Police Department.
Wicked Local
On Thursday, Feb. 4, around 11:07 p.m., the Somerville Police Department responded to a report of an alleged assault in the area of the 400 block of Medford Street. A white male is alleged to have erratically approached a male and female and to have struck the male on the head several times with a firearm.
Police learned the male suspect barricaded himself on the third floor of a private dwelling located at 400 Medford St. where he is believed to reside. The male, who appeared to be agitated and highly emotional, refused to exit the building for officers at the scene. A request for assistance was made for additional emergency resources, including EMS and specialized North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council units. As part of the NEMLEC response, trained negotiators were utilized to establish communication with the suspect.