Brookline Police Name Officer Of The Year, Other Award Winners

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline Police Department's awards board on Thursday handed out awards and medals to nine of its own for acts of bravery and community service.

This year's Officer of the Year award was given to Sgt. Casey Hatchett.

In a Facebook post, the police department said Hatchett was recognized for distinguishing herself by exceptional conduct and extraordinary contributions to the department and community.

"Hatchett’s professionalism and experience on the Emergency Management Team helped lead the Town’s prevention, response and recovery efforts and minimized the effect of the virus on our community and specifically on our first responders," the post read. "Her years of commitment to the Community Emergency Response Team helped make her the 'go-to' Police Department representative for other Department Heads in organizing COVID-19 resources, PPE, and anti-body testing."

Hatchett, who is also a Town Meeting Member and is active across the town, volunteered to serve as a member of the Police Reform Committee and spent many of her own off-duty hours working to help address local calls for change after George Floyd's murder in Minnesota.

"She truly is the gold standard for what community policing is all about," said the post.

The awards committee awarded a Public Service Medal to officer Kaitlin Conneely and Detective Michelle Lawlor for their impact on a teen and for their commitment to her as she grew up and for helping her through a rough time in the face of the loss of her mother.

The teen knew and had become friends with school resource officer Conneely and the police Walk and Talk program's Lawlor. When the girl lost her mother, the two showed up to support the teen as she got her diploma, to the teen's delight.

"Measuring the impact someone has on a child’s life is difficult, but it speaks volumes about the relationships that were in place that when this young woman needed someone to help her navigate a major occurrence in her life," the post read. "She turned not to a family member, a guidance counselor or a teacher, but to the officers who had provided her the most constant and reliable support during her tumultuous high school years. "

The Life Saving Medal was awarded to Officers Sean Williams, Evans Alfred and Brian Merrigan for jumping into action and helping to save the life of a grocery store employee having a medical emergency on a bus.

"These officers recognized the dire situation and did not hesitate to perform their duties knowing they were putting themselves at risk with only having minimal personal protective gear," according to the department.

Read more: Brookline Police Officers, MBTA Snap Into Action To Save Man

For the first year ever, the committee awarded a medal to an officer for Exemplary Service in Crisis Intervention. Officer John Jennings, who was among the first group of Brookline Police Officers to volunteer for the Crisis Intervention training which specializes in deescalation in mental health crisis situations, and was one of the first members of the Brookline Police Crisis Intervention Team, was recognized for his calm and measured responses.

"He routinely takes the initiative to check in on the people he encounters and regularly works with the department clinician, our school resource officers and members of the community service division to assist individuals and families and to help them connect with services," reads the post.

The committee awards a Commendation Medal every year to those officers who have five letters of commendation. In 2020, Officers Brian Bridges and Evans Alfred reached this milestone.

Members of the police department nominated and the Awards Committee, which includes Deputy Superintendent Myles Murphy, Lt. Andrew Amendola, Sgt. Chuck Thornton, Officers Pat Elwood, Chris Elcock and Bobby Collins voted on the submissions.