Officer Callinan is making his Mark

Crime scene course pays dividends in B&E case

A recent decision by Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty to invest in crime scene processing training for members of the Winthrop patrol staff, seems to be paying dividends for the understaffed and budget conscious police department.

“During a recent response to a call for a breaking and entering, a patrol officer who had been trained in crime scene processing was able to successfully lift prints and identify a suspect in the case” explained Chief Delehanty. “Because of that work, we were able to get a warrant for the arrest of a suspect and the suspect is  now facing charges for the crime in East Boston District Court.

According to the officer who worked the case, Officer Tim Callinan, the case in question was a reported daytime breaking and entering incident on Summit Avenue on March 18, which was reported at about 12:30 p.m.

“Officer (Ferucio) Romeo was sent to the scene to take the report on a past breaking and entering,” explained Callinan. “He was aware that I had recently completed crime scene training and requested that I come to the location to dust for fingerprints.”

Upon arriving at the scene, Callinan said that he first photographed the crime scene and was able to take several pictures of fingerprints on the window that were used to gain entry, as well as on other surfaces and objects. He was also able to lift those prints to compare and have processed.

“I created a file that I was able to give to the State Police, including a possible suspect in the case, someone who lived in the neighborhood and had previously been arrested by us for breaking and entering into cars in the area in the previous six months,” said Callinan.

After examining the prints that Officer Callinan had lifted from the crime scene and comparing them to prints on file with the Boston Police Department from prior arrests, the State Police lab was able to confirm that

Callinan’s suspect was indeed the person who had left behind the prints at the crime scene and filed complaints against her in East Boston District Court.

“At least seven of the prints that I was able to process from the crime scene were a positive match,” said Callinan.

During a separate appearance at EBDC last week, the suspect was informed of the complaints against her in the Winthrop breaking and entering case and was formally charged with one count each of malicious destruction of property and breaking and entering in the daytime.

Callinan noted that the suspect is also under investigation in connection to a second breaking an entering attempt on Summit Avenue that was reported a few days after the first case.

The responding officer in that case, Giulio Bonavita was also trained in crime scene processing and was able to successfully lift prints from that crime scene as well. According to Callinan, those prints are currently being analyzed by the State Police, but the department is hoping for a similarly successful outcome.

“I am extremely proud of the work of these officers and I’m happy that our investment in crime scene processing training for some members of our patrol staff is having such a positive impact,” said Chief Delehanty.