HISTORY OF TOWNSEND POLICE DEPARTMENT
In 1898 the first Chief of Police in Townsend was Mike O’Brien who lived on Smith Street.
At a town meeting March 1, 1926 the town voted to adopt Section 97 of MGL Chapter 41 which
provided that a police department be established under the direction of the Board of Selectmen.
The Board of Selectmen were also charged with appointing a Chief of Police and the other
officers that they deemed necessary and to fix the salary of the Chief at $25.00 annually and in
addition any other compensation that he may receive in the performance of his duties as Police Chief.
Harry Feltch from Depot St. was appointed Chief of Police and also served as Fire Chief, he
was replaced by Howard Morse in 1932 that served as the first full time chief in Townsend.
The next Chief was Arthur Bliss (a retired Chief from Needham) followed by Bud Carlton in 1946 and
Wilfred Hamel in 1947. Chief Hamel whom purchased the first police cruiser, which also doubled as an
ambulance, in 1947. Donald Morse followed in 1948 and Howard Doran in 1956, who retired at the
age of 65 in 1959. Donald Morse again was chief in 1960. Erving Marshall, Sr. became the chief in 1973,
followed by William E. May in 1980, who served as chief until 2002. The current Chief of Police
is Erving Marshall, Jr.
Prior to the police department being established, Constables were responsible for police services
and the enforcement of laws in Townsend. There were 3 Constables appointed and each served
a section of town. At that time they were ordinary citizens who had an interest and no formal
training in policing. Constables now are still appointed today but serve different functions in the
community.
During the 1940’s and early 50’s the police department was located over the center fire station,
then was relocated to a small building behind Duncan Matthews Books. The department was then
moved to the Town Hall. In 1989 moved to it’s current location at 70 Brookline Street on Route 13.
In the 40’s and early 50’s there was minimal radio communications. A telephone operator receiving
an emergency call at the brick building on the corner of Rt. 119 and Rt. 13 would turn on a red
light that was located on top of a pole at the intersection indicating to the officer on patrol that they
had a call. The officer on patrol would then return to the police station and call the operator
to see what the call was. In the 50’s a direct phone line was installed into the Groton Police Department,
Groton handled emergency calls coming into Townsend. This became known as the 3-ring system.
Dispatchers, in Groton, would wait 3 rings to see if anyone in Townsend would receive the call.
Radio communications later improved so there was 2-way communications established between
the Groton and Townsend police cruisers.
The Townsend Police Department also handled all ambulance calls at this time. In the early
70’s modernization of patient care became the focal point and the ambulance personnel began
training as EMT’s and the ambulance was not just used as delivery service. In 1980 the
Townsend Police Ambulance Association was established which was eventually turned over to the
town of Townsend and became the Townsend Municipal Ambulance Service.
In 1971 the Police Dept. had grown to five full time officers, which included the Chief, a
sergeant and three full-time officers. The total budget then was $65,476.55. The department was still
relying heavily on its reserve force at that time. Reserve officers would work the open shifts and fill in
where full-time personnel were not scheduled. The Townsend Police Department showed major
growth during the late 70’s and early 80’as the town’s population almost doubled during that
time period. In 1977 the population of Townsend was approximately 6,000 residents. Timberlee
Park was still in the development stages. The police department then consisted of the chief, one
sergeant, six patrolmen, and a full time clerk. The full time force was complimented by a reserve
force of fifteen or sixteen officers and the department budget had grown to $135,000.
In 1980 a full time communications center was added and was housed at the already cramped
quarters of the police department on the bottom floor of the town hall. The alarm center, which
was used to dispatch the fire department was moved from the home of Donna Miller on Smith St.
and incorporated into the communications center at the police station. Donna Miller then became
head of that department. The addition of the Communications Center was a blessing as the
population had increased another 1800 residents in 3 years. In 1982 the 911 system was
installed after eight years of planning and Townsend became the eightieth town in the state
to receive 911 services. In 1983 the addition of a teletype system in the communications
center and at that time Townsend’s dependency on Groton was totally eliminated.
By 1985 the population had grown to 8,200 the police department now had eleven full time
personnel and the operating budget was approximately $332,000. In 1986 with Townsend feeling the
effects of growing pains, the number of calls increased from 15,609 to 28,973. During this same time
three patrolmen were promoted to the rank of Sergeant, and a 6PM –2AM shift was also added.
In 1987 two more officers were added to the department. The department was also utilizing a
temporary holding facility for prisoners at this time, which was located, near the current site of the
police department outside the gates of the highway department. Prior to this Townsend along
with other neighboring towns had housed prisoners at the Ayer Police Department but they had
closed their doors necessitating the need for Townsend’s own holding facility. The year 1988 showed
many improvements to the police department, which included the addition of a part time clerk, the
DARE program and a computer system, which was state of the art. The addition of the computer
system made it possible to “live dispatch” and retrieve statistical data, which had been hand
searched prior to this time.
At the beginning of 1990 the police department moved to its present location but the town was
presented with an economic slowdown which resulted in layoffs, demotions and cutbacks
which directly affected the way that the department administered services. This set the police
department back 10 years and it wasn’t until 1997 that the department recovered. In 1996, with
the retirement of Donna Miller, the Communications Center was put under the direction of the Chief of
Police. This was a logical move as the majority of calls were police related coupled with the sensitivity
and classified nature of the operations.
With the aid of funding through federal and other available grants two more full time officers, a school
resource officer, full time clerical position, new radio system, mobile data terminals, a breathalyzer
body armor, computer upgrades and overtime funding for enforcement efforts were added
to the department. These funds are continuously being sought and allow the department
to better serve the community.
The Townsend Police Department currently employs sixteen full time officers which includes the
School Resource Officer. The current structure of the department includes the Chief, Lieutenant,
three Sergeants, a detective and ten patrol officers. In addition, the department also includes
a reserve force of ten, an administrative assistant and an administrative coordinator, which are civilian
positions. The reserve force has become less significant in recent years as staffing levels have
increased but they are still an important asset used to fill overtime shifts and detail work
The Communications Department currently employs four full time and four part time telecommunicators.
Both Police and Communications Departments provide the town with 24-7-365 coverage.