Selectmen meet promoted police officers

Acting Police Chief Richard Stanley introduced three newly-promoted members of the Police Department to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday.

Kevin Walsh was promoted to lieutenant, and John Gerard and Walter Correia, Jr. were each promoted to the rank of sergeant.

"Each of these individuals comes from a vast background within the Wareham Police Department," Stanley said. "They have the respect of not only the community, but of their brother and sister police officers, and they certainly have my respect as well."

Walsh began his career in Wareham as a seasonal officer stationed in Onset, and he has worked for the force for 25 years.

"I'm proud to serve the Town of Wareham and I always have been," Walsh told the selectmen. "I take this position ... as a promotion, but more of a privilege."

Gerard, a Wareham native, served in the Marines for more than four years and began his time with the Wareham Police in 1998. Noting Gerard's humbleness, Stanley pointed out that the sergeant was an integral part of drug enforcement in town during his work as detective.

Correia is the departments go-to officer for help with information technology, Stanley said. He has been with the department since 1994.

"I've always worked in Wareham and gotten a paycheck in Wareham, but I have more than that. I have my heart in Wareham," Correia said. "I want to help this community be a better place for all of us."

Stanley said one of his goals when taking over as chief was to update the department and promote leaders from within.

In other town business:

• Selectmen presented 16-year-old Onset resident Anthony Vieira with a proclamation, honoring him for earning a National Junior Olympic boxing title. He is now training for the 2012 Olympic games.
• Selectmen approved an increase in the hours of an administrative assistant in the Community Economic Development Authority (CEDA) office to 40 hours per week. The position is funded by grant money. The additional hours will help the department keep up with an increasing workload.
• Selectman Steve Holmes reported that the Zoning Board will conduct an audit to determine if developers are complying with 40B affordable housing requirements. The 40B designation allows developers expedited and more lenient permitting on a project if it includes units designated as affordable. The town currently has no auditing system in place although the state conducts periodic audits. Audits could result in money coming into the town if it is found that developers are making too much profit off of 40B housing projects, which have regulated profit margins.