Police

WINTHROP — Police Chief John Goodwin is pleased to announce that the Winthrop Police Department was awarded a Fiscal Year 2024 Car Seat Distribution Program grant, funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Grants and Research.

The Winthrop Police Department was granted 30 convertible car seats and four booster seats, valued at about $4,000.

This program, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aims to reduce child passenger injuries and fatalities by ensuring low-income families are provided with free car seats, and caregivers are educated on their proper installation and usage. Certified child passenger safety technicians will be distributing the car seats to families in need for Winthrop Police.

Winthrop residents must demonstrate need and can request a car seat by visiting the Winthrop Police Department and asking for Officer Robert Carter, who is a Certified Technician. Officer Carter will install seats at the department or at a residence, as well as inspect seats that have already been installed.

A joint statement made by retiring Police Chief Terence Delehanty and incoming Chief John Goodwin applauded the Office of Grants and Research for their continued support and cooperation of local efforts.

“Winthrop Police continue to make public safety the top concern and this program will further our efforts to achieve that goal,” said Chief Goodwin.

WINTHROP — Police Chief Terence Delehanty reports that Winthrop Police and law enforcement partners charged two men with trafficking cocaine as a result of a lengthy investigation.

FABIAN PERZ, AGE 47, OF EAST BOSTON, was arrested and charged with:

• Trafficking Cocaine (Over 100 Grams)

HENRY ALBERTO ZAPATA LOPEZ, AGE 35, OF EAST BOSTON, was arrested and charged with:

• Trafficking Cocaine (Over 100 Grams)

On Thursday, March 31, the Winthrop Police Department, with assistance from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concluded a lengthy investigation into drug distribution by serving a search warrant at a home on Saratoga Street in East Boston.

As a result, investigators recovered more than 200 grams of cocaine, scales, packaging materials, ledgers, as well as multiple cellphones.

PERZ and LOPEZ were arrested at the scene once the search warrant was served. They were arraigned in East Boston District Court and ordered held on $1,000 bail.

These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

WINTHROP 一 Town Manager Anthony Marino and Police Chief Terence Delehanty report that the Town of Winthrop and Winthrop Police will host a community forum on the recent arrest of a Winthrop Police lieutenant.

WHEN:

Monday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m.

WHERE:

Winthrop Senior Center, 35 Harvard St., Winthrop, MA

WHAT:

Winthrop Town Manager Anthony Marino, Police Chief Terrence Delehanty and the Winthrop Department of Public Health will host a community forum on the recent arrest of a Winthrop Police lieutenant on child rape charges.

Town Manager Marino and Chief Delehanty, without providing details of the ongoing police investigation, will answer questions and address concerns regarding the incident.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County will be there to provide information and resources for families on talking with children about abuse.

The Winthrop Department of Public Health will also be on hand to provide mental health supports to those in attendance.

2024 Municipal Police Officer, MBTA Transit Police Officer and State Trooper Examination has been announced and applications are now being accepted!

The written examination is scheduled to being March 16, 2024 and run through March 30, 2024. A late fee will be applied to applications filed after January 16, 2024. Candidates are encouraged to apply early.

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION

For more information about recruitment and the exam click here.

Chief Terence Delehanty and the Winthrop Police Department report that the Department has received several recent reports of checks being taken out of the mail, altered, and then used fraudulently.

Six of these reports were received by the Winthrop Police Department recently. All of the victims who have contacted Winthrop Police report that they mailed envelopes containing checks from either the blue Postal Service mailbox in front of the Post Office at Michael’s Mall, or the blue Postal Service mailbox at Hermon and Centre streets.

In each instance, victims were notified by their banks of potentially fraudulent activity and received copies of altered checks that they did not make out themselves.

Altering stolen checks to fraudulently cash them is known as “check washing,” and is a common scheme in which various chemical washes are used to remove ink from checks, creating a blank check that suspects can then fill in however they want.

“Check washing is a common scheme in which suspects take legitimate checks out of the mail, alter them, and then attempt to cash them fraudulently,” said Chief Delehanty. “I encourage residents who are mailing checks to take their checks directly into the Post Office as we continue to investigate these crimes.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service reports that more than $1 billion in counterfeit checks and money orders are recovered each year, and offers the following tips for preventing check theft and check washing:

• Use black, gel pens when filling out checks. Black, gel ink can be more difficult to wash off of a check
• Do not mail checks via your residential mailbox, or any other insecure mailbox. It is recommended that any checks be mailed only in blue, Postal Service mailboxes, or that they are delivered in hand inside the Post Office.
• Shred or burn canceled checks. Do not throw checks in the trash.
• Check your bank statements often. Some banks will only reimburse funds lost to fraud if the fraud is reported to the bank within 30 days.
• Don’t risk sending cash in the mail.

Anyone who believes they may have had mail stolen or checks fraudulently cashed is encouraged to contact the Winthrop Police Department by calling 617-846-1212.

For more information on checking washing and other scams from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, click here.