SEMLEC Appoints New Search and Rescue Control Chief Following Chief Wall’s Retirement

From left: Somerset Police Chief George McNeil, Pembroke Police Chief Richard Wall and Whitman Police Chief Timothy Hanlon. (Photo courtesy SEMLEC)

The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) is pleased to announce that Whitman Police Chief Timothy Hanlon will replace Pembroke Police Chief Richard Wall upon his retirement.

At a recent SEMLEC meeting, Chief Hanlon was voted to replace Chief Wall as a control chief for the SEMLEC Search and Rescue Unit. Chief Hanlon will be working alongside Somerset Police Chief George McNeil as the unit’s two control chiefs.

Each SEMLEC unit has two control chiefs who oversee the operations of their respective units.

As the control chiefs for the Search and Rescue Unit, Chiefs McNeil and Hanlon will oversee all search and rescue operations in the region to find individuals believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured in areas that are either remote or difficult to access.

“We look forward to working alongside Chief Hanlon in the Search and Rescue Unit,” Chief McNeil said. “The Whitman Police Department has been a member agency of SEMLEC for several years and it will be great to see Chief Hanlon step into a leadership position within the Council. I would also like to wish Chief Wall all the best in his retirement. He has been an asset to the unit and we will miss him dearly.”

At yesterday’s monthly training the SEMLEC Search and Rescue Unit presented Chief Wall with a token of appreciation for his many years of dedication to the team and all of the communities SEMLEC represents. Chief Wall served as a control chief for SEMLEC Search and Rescue for the past seven years and has served in law enforcement for the past 34 years.

About SEMLEC:
We are a mutual aid consortium comprised of resources from the police departments of 30 cities and towns. We respond when requested by a chief of police to assist with search and rescue, special events, or major crimes. We also draw on some of the most talented police officers in the region to form the SEMLEC SWAT Team, which deploys when needed to save lives and protect the citizens of southeastern Massachusetts.
Our members are all sworn police officers from one of the 30 member communities. Our units respond only when called by one of the 30 chiefs of police in our region.

To learn more about SEMLEC, click here.

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Seekonk Police, SEMLEC Search and Rescue Locate Body of Missing Man

January 18, 2020February 25, 2021 Leah Comins News missing person, Search and Rescue Unit, seekonk, seekonk police department, SEMLEC, SEMLEC Search and Rescue, South Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council

SEEKONK — Interim Chief of Police David Enos, working as control chief of the South Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) Search and Rescue Unit, and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn have confirmed that the body of a missing Seekonk man was found Saturday.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., the Seekonk Police Department activated the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) Search and Rescue Unit to search for a man who was reported missing to Seekonk Police on Friday, Jan. 17.

The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing and Massachusetts Environmental Police also assisted in the search.

Units searched in the wooded area near Gammino Pond and the Seekonk Public Library, located at 410 Newman Ave., and located the man’s body at approximately 3 p.m.

This is an open investigation being conducted by the Seekonk Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. At this time no foul play is suspected.

All further media inquiries should be directed to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

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SEMLEC Search and Rescue Training to be Held at Dartmouth Nature Preserve

February 12, 2018February 25, 2021 Benjamin Paulin News Dartmouth, Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, Project Lifesaver, Safety Net, Search and Rescue Unit, SEMLEC, Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, training

South Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council

Search and Rescue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, Feb. 12, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

SEMLEC Search and Rescue Training to be Held at Dartmouth Nature Preserve

DARTMOUTH — The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council reports that members of the Search and Rescue Unit will be training at a Dartmouth nature preserve on Tuesday.

The training exercises will take place on the property of the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust near Cornell Farm on Smith Neck Road. The training will go from late morning until mid-afternoon.

Residents and guests of the preserve should not be alarmed by the police presence.

The officers will be training with Safety Net and Project Livesaver tracking device technology. The devices are meant to help locate missing people who are at-risk, with illnesses and developmental disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Epilepsy, autism and down syndrome.

The officers will separate into groups of three or four and will each attempt to locate tracking bracelets that are hidden in the woods. Each bracelet has its own unique frequency that the officers will follow.

The group will then attempt to locate a person wearing one of the bracelets in the woods, in a mock search of a missing person.

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