Haverhill police station flags are flying at half-staff, memorial bunting hangs over the entrance to the building and a lone cruiser flashing blue lights is adorned in flowers.
The city is remembering an as-yet officially unnamed officer who died Friday morning at a Bartlett Avenue home, a block from Haverhill City Hall. The female officer was remembered Friday as “beloved” by Police Chief Robert P. Pistone Jr.
“She served our community with grace, compassion, kindness and professionalism, and will be deeply missed. I extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the officer’s family and friends, and the men and women of the Haverhill Police department,” the chief said in a statement.
Pistone added, “The department is grateful to the community for their support thus far, and to the many area police departments, the Massachusetts State Police and Essex County Sheriff’s Department who have assisted with the coverage of shifts during the last 24 hours.”
Mayor Melinda E. Barrett added her condolences in a late statement Friday and also issued her thanks.
“This is a tragic loss, and on behalf of the City of Haverhill, I want to extend our deepest sympathy to the officer’s family, friends, fellow officers and loved ones,” Barrett said.
The mayor added she is “profoundly grateful to our neighboring police departments that have stepped forward to provide coverage and support over the coming days. Their assistance ensures that our community continues to be well-served and protected.” She also thanked Riverside Church on Groveland Street for hosting those grieving the loss.
No official release of the officer’s name has been issued, but the scarcity of information has fueled the spread of speculative and, in some cases, sensationalistic accounts on social media and web pages that use an unconfirmed name and official photographs.
It was the Haverhill Police Patrolman’s Association Friday that first confirmed the death around 11:30 a.m., Friday, when the union posted simply a photograph of a Haverhill police badge with a mourning band around it.
While the district attorney’s office typically reports it will withhold names of those who die until loved ones are notified, District Attorney Paul F. Tucker’s office at least initially Friday appeared to state it had no plan to do so in this case. “As with any death investigation, it remains under investigation by our office and the (Office of Chief Medical Examiner) and we do not share decedent information when the death has occurred in a residence and is not suspicious in nature.”
It is customary for public officials to first defer to the district attorney when it comes to unattended deaths. City officials offered separate public statements of grief about four and seven hours later than the district attorney.
Pistone and the Patrolman’s Union both sought to reassure the public, writing, “There does not appear to be any foul play at this time, and the cause and manner of death remains unknown pending an autopsy by the Medical Examiner’s Office.”
A memorial in front of the Haverhill Police Station. (WHAV News photograph.)