Brookline Celebrates Its Bravest Officers With Annual Awards Ceremony

BROOKLINE, MA — The town’s finest service members gathered at Hunneman Hall in the Brookline Public Library on Wednesday afternoon for the police department’s annual awards ceremony.

Four officers were recognized for a variety of career achievements and life-saving actions, as Deputy Superintendent Russell O’Neill described. Chief Jennifer Paster said the ceremony is one of the most significant days for the department on the calendar.

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“Police work is often measured in statistics… but the truth is the most important parts of our job rarely fit into these numbers,” Paster said. “They happen in the moments where someone chooses patience over force, empathy over frustration, courage over comfort, or teamwork over recognition.”

The awards were recommended to a committee by department supervisors. O’Neill said that reports, call logs, and body camera footage were all reviewed as part of the process in determining the winners.

Detective Shannon Goodrich was named Brookline’s 2025 Officer of the Year. O’Neill said that Goodrich was a driving force behind solving multiple cases and investigations, including a teenage shooting incident, a theft ring that originated from South America, financial crime involving identity theft, and a homicide case in which she identified the suspect and provided support for the victim’s family.

“Her professionalism, determination, and humanity represent the very best of this department,” O’Neill said about Goodrich.

Goodrich joined the Brookline police in 2020 after graduating from the Cambridge-Northeastern Police Academy. Before becoming a detective, she worked as a probation and patrol officer.

Two life-saving medals were presented to Officers Ryan Cabezas and Jordan Berkeley. Cabezas is credited with defusing a situation in March of last year in which a person was threatening staff at a business with a knife.

“Despite being threatened and lunged at, Officer Cabezas maintained control of the situation using verbal commands and de-escalation techniques to bring the incident to a safe resolution without serious injury,” O’Neill said. “His composure, restraint, and tactical awareness ensured the safety of everyone involved.”

Berkeley earned his award for stopping a suicidal woman from jumping off a railing 12 stories high.

“Through a combination of strength, courage, and communication, Officer Berkeley saved a life that day,” O’Neill said.

Both incidents were captured on body camera footage and briefly shown to the audience.

Officer Peter Muise was the recipient of the Badge #1 award, which is given to the department’s most senior officer. Muise has been a Brookline police officer since 1995. His career resume includes being a member of the special response team, honor guard, community service, training, and patrol divisions.

Officer Marc Constantin was named the 2025 recipient of the Military Deployment Medal and is currently serving in the Middle East in the United States Navy.

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