Detective John Burns

The Amherst Police have lost one of their own. Detective John Burns, who retired in 1988, passed away on November 22nd from an existing heart condition. Detective Burns started his career with the Amherst Police Department in 1970, hired by Chief Frank Hart, after serving 4 years in the Philadelphia Police Department where he was assigned to the south end of that city. He had moved to Western Massachusetts so his daughter could attend the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton.

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During his career in Amherst, he worked as a member of the patrol force on the night shift, and he then became a Detective in 1978. Detective Burns was appointed Officer in Charge of the Detective Bureau in 1981 - a position he held until his retirement. In addition to the 6 official Commendations he received from both the Amherst and Philadelphia Police Departments, in his personnel file are numerous letters of gratitude from members of the community for his professionalism and competence in serving them over his 18-year career. Detective Burns was not only an investigator - he was involved with and dedicated to the Amherst Police Explorers, a program that had youngsters working in the Police Department in a variety of rolls.

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Captain Tim Sullivan (retired, 2008), who partnered with Burns for several years, stated the following about him, “To sum up, I would say that Burns was a dedicated policeman, top notch detective with great instincts for the job, loved the Department and the Town of Amherst where he lived until his retirement. If he had had his way, he would have come back on the job after his (first) heart attack… His life was three things: being a husband to Patsy, a dad to Tricia and a cop in Amherst.”

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Burns, a very proud veteran, was also a member of the Air Force from 1956 to 1960 when he was honorably discharged.
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Detective John Burns will be sadly missed by all members of the Amherst Police Department.

Seat Belt Enforcement

The Amherst Police Department is joining law enforcement organizations across the state and country to launch a special Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization. Increased law enforcement activities will be conducted throughout the month targeting drivers and passengers not wearing their seat belts. This special crackdown is taking place from now through November 30th. It marks one of many aggressive seat belt enforcement waves across Massachusetts designed to increase seat belt use and to decrease fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes.

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 65 percent of those killed in motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts during 2007 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash. Seventy-two percent of passengers involved in a serious crash who are buckled up survive the crash. When worn correctly, seat belts have been proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and by 60 percent for passengers riding in pickup trucks, SUV's and mini-vans.

Seat belts save lives. Unless you want to risk a ticket or worse - your life - please remember to always Click It or Ticket. This mobilization is funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. For more information visit www.mass.gov/highwaysafety.

For questions about the Amherst Police Department's Click It or Ticket campaign, contact Officer Todd Lang or Sergeant Bill Menard.

Weekend Community Service Project

The Amherst Police Department’s Community Enhancement through Community Service Program was at St. Bridget’s Church this past weekend helping to clean up and rake the lawn. This community outreach program was started in 2007 by Sgt. Brian Johnson as a way to allow offenders who are required by the Eastern Hampshire District Court to complete their court-ordered community service hours in town. The offenders, who were mostly charged with minor alcohol offenses, have worked on several community projects since 2007. Detective David Foster now coordinates this successful program and is looking for suggestions for how this group can help the Amherst community. Detective Foster, who schedules and is present at all weekend projects, can be reached via email or by calling the Amherst Police Department Detective Bureau at 413-259-3015. (The attached photo is of this past weekend's project at St. Bridget's Church on North Pleasant Street.)

Town Manager Appoints Jennifer Gundersen to the Position of Police Captain

Laurence Shaffer, Town Manager for the Town of Amherst, Massachusetts, has appointed Lieutenant Jennifer A. Gundersen to the position of Captain in the Amherst, Massachusetts, Police Department effective November 9, 2009.

Lieutenant Gundersen has enjoyed a stellar career with the Town of Amherst Police Department. Lieutenant Gundersen was initially employed by the Amherst Police Department as a patrol officer on December 5, 1994. She was appointed as a detective on June 1, 1998. Lieutenant Gundersen was appointed Sergeant September 15, 2000, and then she was appointed Lieutenant on September 9, 2003.

Lieutenant Gundersen has a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Western New England College. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Stonehill College. Lieutenant Gundersen completed the Federal Bureau of the National Academy in 2006, she completed the Law Enforcement Command and Training Center in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2000, and she also completed the Massachusetts Police Leadership Institute on Development of Midmanagers.

Ms. Gundersen is a highly regarded member of the Amherst Police Department. Police Chief Scott Livingstone said, “It gives me a great deal of pleasure to recommend Lieutenant Gundersen be appointed as Police Captain. She has enjoyed a very impressive career with the Town of Amherst Police Department. I fully expect her to be extremely successful in her new position.”

Laurence Shaffer, Town Manager, said, “I couldn’t be more pleased to appoint Lieutenant Gundersen as Police Captain. I have seen her performance in a host of different areas and have found it to be exemplary. We are very fortunate to have police officers of Lieutenant Gundersen’s quality within the Amherst Police Department.”

Questions about this press release may be answered by Laurence Shaffer, Town Manager, at 413-259-3002 or Scott Livingstone, Police Chief, at 413-259-3014.

Amherst Police Department Receives MLEC Award

The Amherst Police Department has received an Award of Excellence in the Silver Category for municipal departments for participating in the annual Massachusetts Law Enforcement Challenge. The Challenge is a joint initiative supported by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association (MCOPA) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).

The department will be recognized along with the Massachusetts State Police and 16 other police agencies across the state at a ceremony held November 17, 2009, in Worcester, MA. This is the second year the department has been recognized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security for its traffic safety efforts having received the same award in 2008 based on 2007 data and accomplishments.

The award program recognizes police departments across the state for their traffic safety efforts to reduce motor vehicle-related fatalities, injuries and economic loss in communities by combining traffic enforcement with public information and education. The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Challenge (MLEC) is modeled after the National Law Enforcement Challenge presented annually by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

The Amherst Police Department was judged on six separate categories: Policy and Guidelines, Officer Training, Incentives and Recognition, Public Education and Information, Enforcement Activity and Effectiveness of Effort. The award is based on the department’s 2008 data and accomplishments.

In 2008, the Amherst Police Department cited a total of 3,411 drivers for speeding and arrested 123 individuals for operating under the influence. In the same year, the department investigated 796 motor vehicle crashes - 108 of which resulted in personal injury. Of the personal injury crashes, less than 13% were speed-related and less than 11% were alcohol-related. In 2008, the department did not investigate one fatal motor vehicle collision which can be attributed to our officers’ proactive enforcement efforts.

In 2007, the department investigated 1,016 motor vehicle crashes and 796 in 2008. The decrease in motor vehicle collisions over the last year is a direct result of the commitment the Amherst Police Department has in the education and enforcement of all traffic-related laws.

For more information about this award or the department’s educational or enforcement efforts please contact Sgt. William Menard or Officer Scott Gallagher at (413) 259-3000.