Officer Dominic Abbatangelo and the Town of Westwood have agreed to end proceedings related to the town's attempt to terminate his employment, following the officer's expression of regret and agreement to accept discipline, which will clear a path for his return to full and active duty, according to a joint statement posted on the town website on July 13.
The statement was jointly issued by the Town of Westwood, Westwood Police Department, Westwood Police Association, Massachusetts Coalition of Police, AFL-CIO, Local 174.
"Officer Abbatangelo, a 24‑year veteran of the department subject to an ongoing appointing authority hearing relating to professional conduct, has agreed to accept the discipline imposed thereby resolving and ending the pending proceedings. He has expressed sincere regret to the members of the Westwood Police Department, and is committed to getting past these events and taking all steps necessary to return to full duty so he can return to active duty and serving the community and department he cares so deeply about," reads the statement.
The statement continues, "The Town of Westwood, the Westwood Police Department, Westwood Police Union, and Officer Abbatangelo remain committed to supporting a professional, respectful work environment for all members of the department. We thank Acting Chief DiLalla for his assistance in facilitating a mutually agreeable resolution that both honors the professional standards described above and allows a dedicated police officer to continue his career in public service. We look forward to moving forward together and continuing our shared mission of serving the people of Westwood with professionalism and integrity.
The parties will issue no further public comments on this subject, as it is a personnel matter."
The Town of Westwood had sought to terminate Officer Dominic Abbatangelo, alleging that he had failed to respond to a call from a superior for relief, failed to timely respond to a report of shoplifting, grabbed at the uniform of a lieutenant following a meeting to discuss the incident, and repeatedly shouted expletives numerous times at two superiors.
Through the opening statement and line of questioning by Officer Abbatangelo's counsel on the first day of the appointing authority hearings, which began in late March, counsel suggested that the officer had been deprived of due process and may have been unfairly singled out for disciplinary action.
The settlement between the appointing authority and Officer Abbatangelo comes after hearings in March and April during which the Town of Westwood presented testimony to support its case. An additional hearing date was scheduled in June, with the expectation that testimony would be presented to support Officer Abbatangelo's arguments. That hearing was cancelled.
Officer Abbatangelo deserves to return to his job. I am happy this unfortunate situation has been resolved. Officer Abbatangelo has provided our town with true community policing for the past 24 years. It is not an easy job. I am left to wonder, how did this situation escalate in the first place? I attended several of the public hearings, hoping to understand the circumstances. There are always two sides to every story, and only one side has been told. We never got to hear Officer Abbatangelo’s explanation. The former police chief was due to testify in June, but that hearing and subsequent hearings were canceled. Would his testimony have made a difference or would it expose shortcomings in the department? From the testimony that I heard, I believe that there was not fair and equal treatment and that leadership should have addressed concerns long before the situation became untenable. We will soon have a new police chief and Officer Abbatangelo will be back to serve and protect our community. We can all learn from this to ensure it does not happen again. Our police officers and residents deserve better.
Light rain, with a high of 77 and low of 66 degrees. Don't forget your umbrella! Light rain for the morning, overcast overnight.
We used to spray our lawn with a company that said they used non-toxic chemicals. The loss of bees, frogs, pollinators and birds in our garden was dramatic.
Great topic! I'd love to see more from the environmental action committee on encouraging less use of pesticides/weed killers/fertilizers in town.
what a great way to encourage people to plant native, it gives me so much pleasure to see who is visiting my plants.
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