Melrose Swears in Two New Police Officers

The following was submitted by Melrose City Hall: 

Mayor Rob Dolan swore in two new members of the Melrose Police Department in a brief ceremony in the Aldermanic Chamber on November 28.

“I am pleased to welcome both these men to the Melrose Police Department,” said Mayor Rob Dolan. “They bring a breadth and depth of experience that will enrich both the department and the community.”

Officer Daniel Goodhue is a lifelong Melrose resident and a graduate of Melrose High School. He served in the U.S. Marine Crops from 2004 through 2009 and did tours of duty in eight countries; his service included Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Officer Sean Matthews was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and came to the U.S. in 1998. He worked as a teacher in Boston and as a carpenter, and in 2007 he joined the U.S. Army National Guard as an infantryman. He has gone on over 230 combat missions as a non-commissioned officer and recently returned from a combat deployment in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.

Both officers will spend the next six weeks in the Field Officer Training Program and will assigned to a shift in early January.

“We send them to the Police Academy for 24 weeks, but we want to make sure they are acclimated to the community,” said Police Chief Michael Lyle.

“That’s why we have a Field Officer Training Program. They are paired with a senior officer for six to eight weeks;  they will work the different shifts, go to court, do dispatch, and see all aspects of being a Melrose police officer. After that, they will be ready for their assignment.”