What Does the Middlesex Sheriff's Office Do?

Sheriff Peter Koutoujian hopes to answer that question during the inaugural Citizens Academy.

When people talk about the Sheriff's Office, it's often with a vague idea of what Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and the rest of the department do. But Koutoujian hopes to change that with his new Citizens Academy, which begins April 10. As a resident of Waltham, Koutoujian said he saw how well people responded to the town’s Citizen’s Academy and thought that he could bring the same concept to the Sheriff's Office. Koutoujian has been in office for more than two years, but he acknowledged that most people don’t know the ins and outs of the sheriff's department and how they differ from local and state police departments. “I had been a prosecutor for four years then I worked in the court doing some defense work after that. Until I became sheriff I…

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TRIAD Public Safety Program Starting Up in Stoneham

New partnership between Middlesex County Sheriff's Office and Stoneham Council on Aging begins with a 'Scam and Fraud Prevention' presentation and dinner on Wednesday, April 24.

Middlesex Sheriff Inaugurated; Details Improvement Plans

Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian was inaugurated at Bentley University in Waltham on Wednesday, Feb. 13.

Before he detailed plans to improve his agency, Peter J. Koutoujian was sworn into his first elected term as Middlesex Sheriff on Wednesday, Feb. 13.  In front of a large audience of family, colleagues and friends, Koutoujian, a life-long Waltham resident and former state representative for the city, took the oath of office during a 4 p.m. ceremony at the LaCava Center at Bentley University. Koutoujian was elected to the post in November 2012 to fill the remaining four years of a six-year term. Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Koutoujian in late 2010 after former sheriff James DiPaola took his own life.  Koutoujian, in a 25-minute speech, said he plans to boost correction officer wellness and hire more academy-trained officers. He said he also…

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Legislation Would Allow Assets to be Seized in Child Sex Cases

Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and Andover Democratic State Senator Barry Feingold propose bill based on existing state drug and human trafficking laws.

Newly-proposed legislation in Massachusetts could set the stage for certain sexual predators in the state to have their assets seized. According to an announcement from Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, he and State Senator Barry Feingold, an Andover Democrat, have proposed the bill, said to be modeled on existing state controlled substance and human trafficking laws. The announcement also comes in the spotlight of the ongoing John Burbine child sex abuse case. Burbine, a former Wakefield resident, is facing more than 100 counts of child sex abuse—including victims from Stoneham—stemming from his work at his wife's one-time illegal daycare business. The legislation would allow, with court permission, for items such as cameras, cell …

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Mobile Video-Based Trailer Drills Officers in Firearms and Communication

Stoneham Police officers spent last week using the Middlesex Sheriff's Mobile Training Center, a trailer that tests officers' skill with both their firearm and decision-making using pre-recorded video scenarios.

Two police officers have their guns drawn, cautiously moving down the high school hallway as they check doors after a report of a man with a gun inside the school. Suddenly a crowd of students comes running around the corner, with the officers telling everyone to show their hands up, and just as suddenly the gunman turns around the corner. The officers yell for the man to drop his weapon, but he fires, and the officers return fire. That harrowing and sadly familiar sounding situation—and other intense scenarios involving firearms—took place in a virtual training last week behind the Stoneham Police Department, where the Middlesex Sheriff Department's Mobile Training Center parked for six days as officers were drilled in both firearms …

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Middlesex Sheriff Responds to Inquiries On Political Future

Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian issued a statement last Friday, Jan. 11, in response to inquiries on whether he would run for the Middlesex DA's seat.

Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian is not ruling out a run to become the next Middlesex District Attorney. Koutoujian, in a statement released last Friday in response to inquires on whether he would run to fill the seat Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone plans to vacate, said "never say never." “I love my job as Sheriff of Middlesex County and am focused on the work before me," Koutoujian said in the statement. "One of my guiding principles has always been to never say never to any opportunity in which I can provide benefit to the people I serve. But today, I’d just like to congratulate Gerry on what must have been a difficult decision and thank him for his service to Middlesex County." Koutoujian, a Waltham resident, was …

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Middlesex Sheriff Announces New Crime-Fighting Tool

Local police agencies will now have access to more information on prison inmates.

Middlesex County law enforcement agencies now have an additional tool to fight crime—more and easier access to information about prison inmates.  The Middlesex County Sheriff's office recently unveiled MIDNet, the Massachusetts Inmate Data Network, which allows police officers to access information on inmates in hopes of bolstering public safety, according to the Sheriff's office.  MIDNet allows officers to find information on an inmate's status, charges, identifying marks, aliases and other information from other correctional facilities, including state Department of Correction facilties. As of Dec. 19, 39 out of 54 Middlesex County communities had enrolled in the program. “We, as police officers, have known for years that there is a …

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Leadership Changes in Middlesex Sheriff's Office

Scott Brazis will take over as special sheriff—second in command—from Patrick Murphy, who's retiring.

Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian appointed new leaders to two top positions in the Middlesex Sheriff's Office, according to an announcement sent by the sheriff's office on Tuesday. Scott Brazis will take over as special sheriff, which is essentially the second in command, according to the sheriff's office. In Massachusetts, special sheriffs take over the office if the sheriff is sick, absent or otherwise unable to do the job. Brazis will replace Patrick Murphy, who is retiring Friday after 33 years with the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office. Brazis has worked in Middlesex Sheriff's Office for 28 years, starting as a corrections officer and, most recently, serving as superintendent of the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge, according to the …

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Middlesex Sheriff Employee Charged With Fraud

A Malden resident is facing allegations she inappropriately used sick time to work at a Melrose Real Estate office.

A Middlesex County Sheriff's Office employee is facing criminal fraud charges for allegedly working another job in Melrose while she remained on medical leave from the sheriff's office. Joyce Drinkwater, 67, of Malden, was charged on Nov. 19 with knowingly presenting a fraudulent claim to a public employer for a benefit, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office. Drinkwater allegedly collected her full salary as she stayed on medical leave from the sheriff's office. Drinkwater, who worked in the sheriff's payroll office, took medical leave in June and when that ended she allegedly used her unused sick time remain out on leave, according to the DA's office. She allegedly certified to the sheriff's office that she was …

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Middlesex Sheriff Looking To Bolster Correction Officer Support

Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian is organizing efforts to improve support programs for corrections officers.

Corrections officers face many dangers in their work environment, but none may be more serious than the stresses they endure from years of working in such an extreme setting.  To improve the health and wellness of corrections officers nationwide, the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office is launching a campaign to better support officers who feel the heavy burden of their jobs.  One part of the effort will be a conference to share ways to assist corrections officers facing mental or physical job-related stresses, according to the Sheriff's Office. The conference will host experts from across the country to discuss the causes and consequences stemming from a prison work environment. The Sheriff's office, in partnership with the National Sheriff…

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