PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Norwood, MA Permit #7
Postal Customer Local
Vol. 6 No. 7
Seasonal Flurry for Local & Federal Police
Eddie ‘Buffalo’ Hickey 2015 Friends of St. Nick Person of the Year by
January 2016
Free to Every Home and Business Every Month
Donna Lane
The hall was filled with merriment; it was a day of celebration and a fa-la-la moment. Nearly 450 Friends of St. Nick attended the 24th annual charity luncheon held December 11, at the Four Points Sheraton, to honor Eddie ‘Buffalo’ Hickey as their Person of the Year. The event also raised funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
The Friends of St. Nick was founded by Bob Dempsey, in 1992, with the dual purpose of honoring those people who have served the town of Norwood well by their efforts, while at the same time raising funds to support the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. “All of us have been touched by cancer in some way, so donating to an organization that helps cancer patients was an
easy choice,” Dempsey said. “To date, the Friends of St. Nick has donated just short of one-half million dollars to Dana Farber.” According to Martin Sansone, a member of the Friends board of directors, “The Friends board members look for people in the community who are the unsung heroes…people who donate their time, energy, talent and heart to what they do…people who don’t look for the spotlight,” Sansone said. “Board members submit nominations for people or organizations who fit the criteria, present rationale for the nomination, and then the board votes.” He said the vote for Hickey was unanimous. So who is Eddie Hickey and why was he selected? Described as a ‘townie through and through,’ Hickey’s parents moved to Norwood when he was five years old. He attended
BUFFALO continued on page 2
Overall Crime Rate Down in 2015 by
Renee Plant
The end of 2015 was a busy time for the Norwood Police Department. They investigated a series of crimes that were considered atypical in the community, but the good news is, according to police reports, the overall crime rate was down for the year. At press time, robberies were down from five in 2014 to four and forcible rape remained the same at three offenses. “As we look at our crimes against persons, which are things like sexual assaults and robbery, our [2015] numbers are down by 17 percent [compared to 2014],” Norwood Police Chief William G. Brooks III said. “Crimes against property were level compared to the previous year.” Still, the department was left investigating some unusual crimes as the year came to a close, including a string of home burglaries on November 23. During the break-ins, thieves stole items such as jewelry, electronics and cash. One firearm
was also taken from a residence. “That was an odd occurrence to have 10 house break-ins in one day,” Chief Brooks said. “The theory is they were all done by the same crew because of the consistency of the descriptions.” Brooks said the department is focusing in on three or four men in their 20s using a dark SUV as their getaway vehicle. At press time, no arrests had been made. “There was no particular pattern other than they were forced entries that took place through a rear window,” Chief Brooks said. “But to have so many in one day is very unusual. Typically, we might get 50 in a year.” While Brooks said he believes this was an isolated event, he encourages residents to be vigilant about protecting their property. “We encourage people to lock their homes and cars,” Chief Brooks said. “Even cars in your driveway should be locked, because people can go around trying door handles. Of course, we don’t
CRIME continued on page 4
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