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Chief Michael Begonis

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Chief Begonis Thankful for Support While Deployed in Boston, Watertown

The Wilmington Police Chief was key in leading NEMLEC units who went to work following the Boston Marathon bombings, but he is quick to dish out credit to his officers and family for their support.

Having just returned home from what will likely rank as one of the most trying times in his law enforcement career, Wilmington Police Chief Michael Begonis sat down in his living room, answering questions from family members who had sparse contact with him during the days that followed the Boston Marathon bombings. Begonis sat down in his reclining chair telling his loved ones what it had been like to help search for the most wanted man in the country. And then he fell asleep in the middle of a sentence. That’s just how long of week it was. “It was a very emotional week,” said Begonis, who spearheaded the efforts of the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) Regional Response Team, SWAT teams and Incident Management …

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Matt Schooley

2:18 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013

A comment has been removed from this article. Comments not related to the story will be deleted, as has been mentioned in other articles. Other comments were removed as well because they were connected to the original comment.   more ›

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Is Now the Time to Talk Gun Control?

Does the massacre at Newtown, CT, signal the need for a political debate on gun regulations?

Before officials had even held their first press conference Friday, Facebook was abuzz with status updates about the Newtown, CT, massacre. The statuses were split between those sending their condolences and those asking if the country would finally deal with the issue of gun control. Some fought back, asking for respect and mourning before political debate began. Others remained fierce in their belief that stricter gun control regulations would have prevented such a mass killing, saying the victims were shot multiple times and with semi-automatic weapons, according to Fox News. The guns were not illegal and were, in fact, owned by the shooter's mother. Among them were a semi-automatic .223 caliber bushmaster rifle and two handguns. Those …

Resident

8:20 am on Friday, December 21, 2012

Sick people will always find ways to hurt people. Be it by home made bombs, poising, knives, cars… When people who have not had the opportunity to grow up in a house that has taught proper gun handling and respect hear the word gun it automatically means BAD to them. Most people who say they want to ban assault weapons have absolutely no idea what they actually mean. What is an assault weapon? …   more ›

Chief Begonis Hopes Country Can Learn From Newtown Tragedy

Wilmington Police Chief Michael Begonis said there is no harm in opening up a dialogue about gun control, but also said it's critical not to rush into anything.

Like countless others, Wilmington Police Chief Michael Begonis watched news reports in the aftermath of Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., stunned by what he was seeing and wondering what further impact the horrific tragedy would have nationally and at a local level. “I reacted first as a parent. To see something like that is just so devastating. Your heart truly goes out to those folks,” said Begonis. “I also look at this from the perspective of a law enforcement professional. What things could be done to protect us from that? I’ll wait for the actions to come out and see what we can do in the Town of Wilmington in the confines of the law and constitution to see if there is anything we can do better.” …

Karl Ian Sagal

9:33 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012

I agree with elements of the last two posts. There is an ongoing evaluation of security, no one is waiting for anything, and I think Begonis said so. There is a value to this, but there is also a value in not being overly reactive in a non productive way. I also have a child at the North, and at the Middle school. Having spent time in the Army, and even if not, I will tell you that given the …   more ›

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Police Ask Residents to Secure Homes Before Leaving for Thanksgiving

WPD stress awareness to prevent home break ins.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and reflect on everything good in your life. The Wilmington Police Department wants to make sure it’s not a time to file a police report. On Monday, the department issued an automatic notification system to residents reminding them to take precautions in securing their house when leaving Wilmington for the long weekend. Wilmington Police Chief Michael Begonis said the call was not to scare or alarm anyone, but to make residents leaving town aware that they are their best security mechanism. “As always they should make sure a friend or neighbor is aware that they’re traveling, because it is a traveling season,” said Begonis. “Make sure the house is secure and the cars are locked in the driveway.” Begonis …

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