The Norwood Police Department offered a service last week which while not in the regular line of duty, may be marked up to the credit of that department as a good job well done and with a minimum of “fuss and feathers.”
A police car dispatched to Lovell General Hospital at Fort Devens, transported a wounded Norwood veteran to his home in Norwood while agencies whose job that would ordinarily be were still in the state of making arrangements. Selectman Harry Butters was advised by her father of the wounded veteran last Monday noon that he would be discharged from the hospital at 3:00 p. m. on that day. He wondered if one of the agencies who look after the veterans welfare could arrange for the boy’s transportation home. An immediate contact with one of these groups revealed that arrangements could and would be made but due to unavoidable circumstances a car could not be sent to the hospital until very late in the evening.
It might be necessary to nóld the patient over one day in the hospital.
“Send a police car to Devens. Get the lad home by dinner time so that he will sit down with his parents at the everting meal”. This was the order that Butters phoned immediately to police headquarters.
William Sulllvan, the wounded vet, arrived at Norwood just as his family was sitting down to the dinner table.
Some question of a member of the Board of Selectmen’s authority for issuing such an order in the face of strict regulations regarding the duties of members of the local force and department equipment was brought up at last week’s meeting of the Board.
“I am not concerned with whether or not the scope of my authority as a Selectman includes the issuing of such an order when an emergency of this nature arises”, said Butters. “I did it and I might do it again if a similar situation arose. The police department duties consist of responsibilities aside and apart from the apprehension of criminals. In this case time was of the essence and the town owes a deep debt of gratitude to this wounded soldier.”
“You are right enough there,” said Selectman Charles F. Holman in commenting on the matter “Sometimes it’s fair enough just to go ahead when in doubt, and then inquire about the necessary authority later.”