Haverhill police Chief Alan DeNaro
A Haverhill officer on administrative leave after an incident with a suspect Monday on Franklin Street is not being punished or disciplined, police Chief Alan DeNaro said Tuesday.
The two-day leave is “standard procedure when an officer is involved in a life and death situation,” DeNaro said.
Police are reviewing their actions in the wake of a four-hour standoff Monday after a robbery suspect threatened to shoot at police when they tried to arrest him at his ex-girlfriend’s home at 71 Franklin St. DeNaro recounted the incident to city councilors during their regular meeting Tuesday night.
DeNaro said local and state police went to the Franklin Street home looking for 37-year-old Carlos Perez, who was wanted in connection with a string of commercial break-ins dating back to October. When police attempted to serve Perez with an arrest warrant, he indicated he had a gun and threatened to shoot police.
It is unclear whether Perez discharged a firearm, but shots were fired and Perez ran into a basement apartment at 71 Franklin St. DeNaro told councilors he was unable to provide many details about the incident because it is still being investigated.
“The words, ‘shots fired’ strike terror into the heart of a police officer,” DeNaro said. “We give them a couple of days off to recover. To spend time at home, hug their wife and their family. The officer will return to work in a day or so,” DeNaro said.
Meanwhile, Perez, of 9 Forest Acres Drive in Bradford, remains in custody as he awaits a dangerousness hearing later this month. He has been charged with eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon in addition to the robbery charge that originally brought police to the scene.
Has it been determined if Perez is yet another criminal trespasser in this country illegally seeking safe haven in Haverhill as a result of the red carpet welcome mat the mayor has laid out for all of them? The unspoken sanctuary city policies the mayor has instituted has made Haverhill a VERY dangerous place. In the country Illegally or not, it’s not just the mayor who has turned a blind eye to the hoards of criminals now calling Haverhill home….ALL of the elected liberal politicians in Haverhill sit by and say nothing as the city has been invaded by drug dealers, rapists, armed robbers and gang members.
What is it going to take before elected officials do anything about the invasion taking place in Haverhill? It’s been seen over and over all across this country that liberal politicians advocate for their insane agenda over common sense and the rule of law. Is it going to take a cop getting killed before elected officials in this city wake up to what the mayor is doing?
Chief DeNaro, you have a very difficult job and should be congratulated for the good work you do. But you and the Haverhill Police Patrolman’s Association need to get proactive in your efforts to fight the liberal politicians who advocate for the sanctuary city policies who put all of you in harm’s way every day. Haverhill very easily could be mourning the death of a patrolman right now. Something needs to be done before it becomes a reality.