Braintree Police Join Marathon Attack Response Effort

Mayor Joseph Sullivan has placed the flags in front of Braintree Town Hall at half staff as the town and entire region grapples with the bombing attack on the Boston Marathon that left at least three dead and nearly 200 wounded.

"We're here to assist," Sullivan said. "To the extent that we can help our neighbors we will continue to do so."

Twenty Braintree residents registered for the marathon, and others who work in Braintree and live elsewhere ran as well. Several of those have been confirmed unharmed by friends and family or themselves. A full list of runners can be found at http://www.baa.org/entrants.html.

Braintree Police Chief Russell Jenkins, seven of his officers, including some who are part of the the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council's response team, and the department's K9 units moved into the city after the explosions rocked the finish line on Boylston Street.

They spread out to assist the Boston Police Department in securing various high-sensitivity areas, in particular the hospitals, Jenkins said. The K9s were also used for security.

Jenkins and some of those officers are still in Boston on Tuesday and will remain to help response efforts at least through Tuesday night, the chief said.

In Braintree, officers were stationed at critical infrastructure throughout town as a precaution, Jenkins said. He declined to name those locations citing security concerns.

An officer was also placed at the MBTA station in Braintree.

"We wanted them to come off the train in Braintree and see a police officer and have a sense that things were safe," Jenkins said.

The chief said that the department remains on heightened alert and encouraged residents to report unusual or suspicious activity to the police.

Mayor Sullivan said that no community events have been planned yet. "We're all still processing what transpired," he said.

The mayor, his wife Barbara and son Patrick were at mile 19 in Newton when the blasts happened. Sullivan's daughter Molly was with friends on Massachusetts Avenue. They eventually coordinated with her by text message, met her at South Station and drove back to Braintree through South Boston.

"Everyone was just in a state of disbelief," Sullivan said. "The disbelief morphs into frustration and then a deep sense of anger about why someone would do this."