'An Unimaginable And Heartbreaking Lo​ss' For Salem

SALEM, MA — Salem Police Chief Mary Butler said Friday that in his 31 years with the department, Dana Mazola's philosophy on police work didn't change from the time he filled out an application to join the force.

"My main reason for wanting to become a police officer is that I have an ability to deal well with all types of people - and that is an important aspect of police work," Mazola wrote on his application to the department in 1989. "I enjoy helping people solve their problems and helping them through stressful or traumatic situations."

"Officer Mazola wrote those words over thirty years ago, and he lived by them every day of his career," Butler said in a statement. "He treated all people with dignity and respect and was an outstanding representative of the Department, and the law enforcement profession."

Mazola, 56, died Thursday night after a head-on car crash near 321 Jefferson Avenue in Salem. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll called the Swampscott native's death "an unimaginable and heartbreaking loss."

Mazola and the other driver were taken to Salem Hospital, where Mazola was pronounced dead. Essex County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Carrie Kimball said the other driver survived the crash but his condition was unavailable.

"Dana was a conscientious and professional officer, a loving husband and father, and a devoted public servant to the people of Salem. He was, as we say, the ‘salt of the earth’ - a conscientious rank and file patrol officer who worked hard every single shift," Driscoll said. "Our families often attended the same church services and I fondly recall his two girls helping keep my energetic (at the time) toddler occupied while seated in the pew next to ours. Dana had a big heart and was a warm and caring family man."

Mazola grew up in Swampscott and graduated from Swampscott High School. His family owned Mazola's Corner Store for several years. He started his law enforcement career in 1988 as a correctional officer at the Salem Jail and as an auxiliary police officer in Swampscott. In 1989, he became a reserve police officer in Salem and was named a full-time police officer in 1990

Mazola spent his 29 years as a full-time officer in the patrol division, most recently serving in the traffic division. He developed a reputation as a skilled background investigator and helped the department screen candidates. Mazola was also known for acting as a father figure to new police officers.

"No one could ask for a more loyal, dedicated and committed officer to serve the community and the Department the way Officer Mazola did every single day of his 31 years on the job. He was a man of integrity who had a heart as wide as the whole outdoors," Butler said. "There is not a single officer or employee who knew him, past or present, who is not impacted by the tragic and sudden loss of Dana Mazola."

"I didn't feel like kicking these two kids out"

It may have been a call in 2005 that best illustrates what Butler meant when she said Mazola "had a heart as wide as the whole outdoors."

The offense Mazola was sent to look into that day? A sausage vendor called police on two boys who were running a lemonade stand on Salem Common.

Their crime? The nine-year-old and 11-year-old did not have a vendor's license.

According to an Aug. 2005 Boston Globe article, the sausage seller took a lot of heat around town and eventually regretted ever calling police. But at the time, he said the two boys were hurting his business with lemonade made from a packet that they were selling for 50 cents a cup and advertising as "the best in town."

When Mazola saw the alleged license scofflaws, he called his boss. "I called the sergeant down to the scene because I didn't feel like kicking these two kids out, and I asked him the situation, and he said they needed a vendor's license," he told the newspaper at the time.

The sergeant, regretfully, said rules were rules. Mazola asked if the boys could move their stand away from the sausage vendor. No license, no stand, he was told. Mazola had to send the boys packing, but he didn't have to pretend he was happy about it.

"It's two little kids selling lemonade," Mazola said. "If I get a call like that tomorrow, I'll let someone else take it."

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date. Mazola is survived by his wife, Florine, and twin daughters Amanda and Savannah, "whom he adored," Butler said.

Dave Copeland covers Salem and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).