Investigations may account for lag in public crime notifications

In the aftermath of a fatal altercation at Woodside’s Service Station and a shooting on Main Street this summer, some Waltham residents questioned how quickly information about criminal activity was communicated to the public. 

As reported in The Waltham Times, the incident at Woodside’s Service Station took place May 27, and the victim, Nicholas Dagostino, died from his injuries two days later on May 29. The public wasn’t notified of the fatality until June 8, 11 days after the fact, at a press conference hosted by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and the Waltham Police Department. 

Regarding a shooting on Main Street on Aug. 16, the WPD issued a press release that day stating that the incident did not appear to be random and there was no threat to the public. The next public communication about the incident came Aug. 29 when the Middlesex DA’s Office stated in a press release that investigators determined the shooting was accidental and self-inflicted and that a suspect was under arrest.

According to the Waltham Police Department’s official public information policy, the release of information may be limited when disclosure could interfere with or hamper an investigation. There is no specific deadline or required timeframe for publicly releasing information about criminal incidents. 

Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Chief of Administration Meghan Kelly said via email that “communication regarding calls for service are handled by the police department who manage public police logs.” Waltham Police Department Public Information Officer Tim Maher said the department worked closely with the Middlesex DA’s Office during both investigations.