Amherst police name Merit Award recipients

The Amherst Police Department will honor three individuals on Friday, Jan. 19 during the Merit Award presentation.

Being honored are:

Officer Thomas Barillari, who on Sept. 11, 2006 responded to a report of a woman who had been beaten and robbed in her garage by three males.

Barillari was close by and arrived on location in less than a minute. He provided first aid to the victim until an ambulance arrived and was assigned to escort the ambulance to the hospital. While en route to the hospital, Barillari spotted a suspicious vehicle that he recalled seeing in the area prior to the robbery.

He stopped the vehicle, and immediately sensed that the three occupants were extremely nervous, and may have been involved in the incident. Barillari called for backup, and the suspects were separated and interviewed. Inconsistencies in their stories were discovered, which eventually resulted in the driver of the vehicle making several admissions and consenting to a search of his vehicle.

During this search, the victim's car keys were located under the back seat of the vehicle. All three suspects were then taken into custody.

"Officer Barillari's alertness and attention to detail were key in taking three violent felons off the street, and solving this unusually violent crime only hours after its occurrence," Capt. Charles Cohen said.

Officer Thomas Grillo, who stopped a vehicle on June 27, 2006 for routine traffic violations. Grillo interviewed the driver, a male in his 30s, and observed that the man was extremely nervous.

The passenger was a young girl dressed in what appeared to be pajamas. Grillo also noted that the passenger seemed nervous and would not make eye contact with officers. Grillo called for backup and separated the two subjects for further questioning. The passenger eventually stated that they had just come from a hotel in another jurisdiction, and that they had engaged in sexual intercourse.

Officer Grillo sensed that there was more to the story and pressed on with the investigation. Eventually, he determined that the passenger was only 15 years old and was involved in an abusive relationship with her mother's ex-boyfriend. The case was then turned over to the appropriate law enforcement agency, and the driver is being prosecuted for the sexual offenses.

"Due to Officer Grillo's proactive approach, and superior investigative skills a young girl was taken out of a sexually abusive relationship, and a sexual predator was taken of the streets," Cohen said.

Assistant Police Chief John C. Askey, who is recognized for his efforts on Oct. 12, 2006. Realizing that weather conditions were worsening and that public safety was in jeopardy, he took immediate action and directed that an emergency operations center be established at police headquarters and organized the incident management command system.

"Askey exhibited both professional command presence, and decisive direction during the early and critical stages, when emergency response is vital," Chief John Moslow said.

Askey then initiated a strategic plan of action, working in concert with other town departments and vital partners including both the school districts and National Grid.

Moslow said, "Askey dedicated himself tirelessly to the Amherst Police Department's emergency response and the long-term mitigation to this lengthy weather disaster, the effects of which will be felt throughout our region for some time to come."

Due to Askey's actions and professionalism, the Police Department was recognized for its response to the emergency by both the public and private sectors of the community and held in high esteem by National Grid as a model to follow for similar emergencies in the future.