Remember your first tour of duty
Remember your first tour of duty on the job? I remember it like was only yesterday. I graduated from the BPD Academy, class of 2/14/1968.
After the 14 weeks of mandatory training, I was assigned to station Ten at Roxbury Crossing.
This was 4 years prior to the merger of Stations Ten and Nine to form Area B-2 at the brand new facility at 135 Dudley St. I reported for duty for my first roll call for a last half tour from 11:45 P.M. to 7:30 A.M. Of course I was there at 11 P.M. I met a few of my fellow classmates, George “Buddy” McGrath, later chief clerk at C-11,
Dick Molly, the handball champ, John Murphy of Silver Shield fame, Larry Robicheau, later a Lieutenant Detective, and also the late Billy Lewis. At roll call the Patrol Supervisor, Sgt Bill Broderick, who later had two sons come on the job, Billy and Mike, inspected us. I was assigned to the 10-2 sector car with veteran police officer Joe Ferrulo from Marshfield. After roll, call we went out to the rear of the station, and of course you all remember that you were NOT going to drive the police car, but you were going to answer the radio and write the reports.
Of course, we were still shooting the breeze behind the station when we got the call, “Ten Two car, report of a car accident Terrace and Tremont Sts., personal injuries”. Joe starts mumbling about it not being our sector etc. Off we go, it was all of 300 yards away from the front of the station. When we arrive we only find one car in the middle of the street, it was crushed in the front end, but the other vehicle that had crashed into it, had backed off, and was driven down Terrace st, leaving a trail of anti freeze. After getting the injured into the wagon to go to the Brigham, this rookie followed the trail of anti freeze down Terrace St. to number 40. It was a six decker on the left side, just after the body shop. Of course the other car was out front, steam coming from the radiator. We had no portable radios then. So being a rookie I went into the hallway at #40 to look around. Lo and behold there were only 15-watt light bulbs in the hallway, I heard a loud commotion up on the second floor and went up. There was a very irate, big woman banging on the apartment door trying to get in, cursing and yelling I being in full BPD uniform asked her if I could help. She told me in words that I will never forget, “I’ll cut your Mother F——-g ass if you don’t get out of here”. I observed her with a very shiny knife. Well being of sound body and mind, I said to myself, “ I better get Joe.” I walked back to the scene, Police Officer Joe Ferrulo began to berate me for what I did, and then he called for help and we went down to 40 Terrace St. Upon arrival, the 10-6 car with the late Leo Coogan, the ten hundred wagon with Mo Hathaway and Billy Nagle and Joe and I went upstairs and there was Patricia Robinson, who was a passenger in the car on Tremont St. She was going to cut us all, but was quickly subdued, and cuffed. As were going to take her down the stairs K-9 officer Louis Shamaley came up the stairs with his ferocious German Shepard, causing all of us to back off. But as we were going down the stairs, the PS, Sgt Mike Cammarata was coming up, we all fell on top of him and poor Sgt Mike wound up at the Brigham with a broken arm. But the best part was I got to write the reports and go to court that morning for what was then, a three hour minimum.
