Two Patrolmen Return to Street Duty Following Appointment of Civilian Dispatchers-August 16, 1979

Two patrolmen will return to walking the beat by the end of the month, bolstered by the appointment of three new civilian police dispatchers, according to Lt. James F. Lyden.

Lieutenant Lyden noted that the returning officers will help restore street patrols that had been depleted following the retirement of a sergeant, the transfer of two patrolmen to other departments, and the reassignment of patrolmen to desk duty after dispatcher Ronald Weeks resigned to join the U.S. Postal Service.

Despite the addition, Lyden emphasized that street patrols will remain understaffed until the department receives authorization to hire two additional patrolmen, a request already discussed with Town Manager John J. Carroll. The three newly appointed provisional dispatchers—Francis J. Forrest Jr. of Norwood, Paul Concannon of Braintree, and Richard McDermott of Franklin—were named to fill the desk roles pending a scheduled Civil Service dispatcher examination. Concannon commenced his duties immediately, while Forrest and McDermott were scheduled to begin on August 27.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger