This Labor Day, we want to recognize a group of people whose work is easy to miss because they do it so well. The MetroWest Public Safety team is out on our roads every day, in every kind of weather, helping neighbors through moments that could have gone a lot worse. Here are five recent examples of what that looks like.
Two hours on Hiawassee
A longtime MetroWest resident blew a front tire on Hiawassee Road and settled in to wait for roadside assistance. Officer Michael Lastimosa pulled in behind her, lights on, safety vest on, cone out, and started waving traffic into the next lane. Then he stayed. Storms and traffic pushed the tow truck back more than two hours, and he checked on her the whole time. Her word for it afterward was “companionship.” He left her with a trifold and a business card, just in case.
A red light, a stalled car, and a 20-minute wait
Officer Erik Barragan was patrolling near MetroWest Boulevard and South Hiawassee Road when he spotted a car stopped dead at a red light, hazards flashing on the vehicle behind it. The stalled car belonged to the second driver’s girlfriend, and a tow truck was about 20 minutes out. Erik set out cones, parked behind the disabled car with overhead lights on, and stayed until the tow truck pulled away. Somewhere in the wait, he explained what the patrol program does. The driver’s reaction: “Wow, MetroWest really is the best place to live.”
A jump-start and a job saved
At South Kirkman Road and MetroWest Boulevard, Officer Oriam Gonzalez found an SUV stalled in the left-turn lane, the driver already 20 minutes into waiting on his brother. Oriam readied a jump-start pack, and when the brother arrived, the three of them pushed the car into a nearby gas station lot. One jump later, the engine turned over. The driver’s thank-you was simple: because of that stop, he would make it to work on time.
Directing help to the right parking spot
When a driver pulled into a shopping center lot with a medical emergency and called 911, Officer Francis Lenn stayed with her and guided the Fire Department, an OPD Community Services Officer, and paramedics straight to her car. After she was on her way to be checked out, her son arrived, worried. Francis walked him through what had happened and made sure he left knowing she was in good hands.
First on scene at Kirkman and Metropolis
Oriam also came upon a two-car fender bender near Kirkman Road and Metropolis Way. He checked on both drivers (no injuries, thankfully), kept the scene calm, and stayed while a Road Ranger and then law enforcement arrived. The drivers exchanged information and everyone went on with their day.
Even off the clock
One Saturday evening, out for a walk and not on duty, Francis noticed a local business’s door sitting ajar. He called it in and stood watch for more than an hour until OPD arrived. Nobody asked him to. That is the job, and these officers do it whether or not the shift has started.
Happy Labor Day, MetroWest
None of these stories involves a crime. Each involves a neighbor having a hard afternoon and a MetroWest officer choosing to stay. That is the heart of the Public Safety program, and it is the kind of work Labor Day was made for.
So this weekend, if you see a MetroWest patrol vehicle, give a wave 👋. They are out there while the rest of us are at the grill, and they have earned it.
