Burlington Police Getting 4 New Officers

BURLINGTON, MA — The police department is being bolstered by four new officers.

Officers Daniel Murphy, Colton Bader, Joe Belsito and Richard Riley were appointed in May before training at the Northern Essex Community College Police Academy. They all recently graduated and will begin 10-week field training programs.

"These four officers did us proud while they were at the police academy with their hard work, open minds, and persistence, and I'm pleased to have them patrolling Burlington neighborhoods while learning from more senior officers as part of our field training program," Chief Thomas Browne in a release. "I hope community members will welcome and get to know them as they begin their new careers and further their already extensive training here in our community."

A police spokesperson provided the following biographies for each of the new officers:

Officer Daniel P. Murphy

Officer Murphy has worked at Minuteman High School in Lexington since 2014 as a football and girls’ basketball coach, mentoring students both in and outside of the classroom, implementing safety and security measures in multiple areas around the school and working with students in a leadership role.

During his time at Minuteman High School, Officer Murphy also worked at Burlington High School as an assistant football coach from June 2017 to December 2019, developing communication and conflict resolution skills as a coach.

Officer Murphy is a Burlington native and graduated from Burlington High School in 2010. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in history with a minor in education in 2013 and is currently studying for his master’s degree in education at Cambridge College. He currently resides in Woburn.

Officer Joseph A. Belsito

Officer Belsito has completed his reserve officer course and recently earned his certificate from the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Training Alliance.

Since 2016, Officer Belsito has worked with U.S. Electrical Services Inc., becoming proficient in each area of his job and improving the work environment for himself and those around him as a process improvement specialist. He is also currently serving as the head sailing coach at Bentley University and has been in the role since 2018.

Officer Belsito is a resident of Essex and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in operations and information management in 2016 with a minor in economics.

Officer Colton C. Bader

Officer Bader served with the Boston University Police Department and Braintree Police Department as an intern in 2017 and 2018. In those roles, he became certified in criminal justice information services, completed administrative work, shadowed officers during their days and instructed a junior police academy in Braintree.

Previously, Officer Bader also worked with the Durham Police Department in New Hampshire as a volunteer in 2017, supporting department operations.

Officer Bader is a resident of Brighton and graduated cum laude from the University of New Hampshire in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in justice studies and psychology. He also graduated from Boston University with a master’s degree in criminal justice, concentrating on cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity.

Officer Richard M. Riley Jr.

Officer Riley served as security detail at Wentworth by the Sea Country Club from May 2015 to August 2016 and most recently served as a security officer for Global Security Solutions, helping to transport sensitive materials across the U.S.-Canada border and working with clients to ensure proper delivery and care of their materials.

Officer Riley also began working in 2019 at Renaud Industries and has served as a volunteer numerous times, including delivering meals for Pine Street Inn, supervising Portsmouth Little League games and working at Dog Foundation Car Shows and PD-1 trials.

Officer Riley graduated from St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers in 2014 and from Miami University in 2020. He is a resident of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.