Lynnfield, Wakefield Police Adopt Mutual Aid Accord

Lynnfield Selectmen have approved a mutual aid agreement with police in neighboring Wakefield. 

Before the vote at this week's meeting, Town Administrator Bill Gustus explained that a growing number of towns have adopted mutual aid agreements over the past couple of decades. These help avoid potential court rulings that throw out convictions on technicalities because an arrest was made by an officer from a nearby town. Gustus also indicated that Wakefield Police Chief Richard Smith had contacted his Lynnfield counterpart, Chief David Breen, about the accord. 

Gustus noted that Wakefield and Lynnfield Police often work together with traffic, and that this is likely to become a more significant factor with MarketStreet now open.  The mutual aid agreement basically allows officers in Lynnfield and Wakefield to perform certain law enforcement duties in each other's towns when the chief of police determines that public safety depends on such assistance. Officers will also have the power to act if they observe something in the neighboring town that specifically endangers public safety or are in pursuit of a suspect that crosses the town lines. 

Gustus also noted that Wakefield is part of a mutual aid pact with other communities in Middlesex County, while Lynnfield apparently has a couple of older agreements in place with North Reading and Saugus.