Recent Drug Raid Has Residents on Edge

A recent drug raid of a Riverdale duplex has residents worried about their safety - or so they told town department heads at a neighborhood meeting Monday evening.

Kathleen McNeely asked Dedham police chief-to-be Michael d'Entremont about what could be done to the homeowner of the duplex, where police raided several times in the past few years, according to McNeely.

"We are at risk in our neighborhood. We have to keep a vigilant watch all the time," McNeely said.

While she isn't disappointed with the police response to the situation - a call into dispatch means five minutes later a car is in her neighborhood, she said, but she said a more comprehensive solution is warranted.

"Dedham Police - I commend them. But we, as homeowners, have to do something," McNeely said. "It is coming into our neighborhoods at a very quick pace, and I would like some help."

Other areas of Dedham, specifically the Manor, have organized a neighborhood watch group, which organizers say soon could turn into a neighborhood advocacy group like Mother Brook or Oakdale Square Alliance.

Residents had a chance to ask questions of the town's department heads at the second "Town Hall to Your Neighborhood" meeting at NewBridge on the Charles. This meeting invited residents from precincts one and two.

Lt. Michael d'Entremont, who will be sworn-in as the Dedham's new police chief Tuesday evening, said residents should stay alert and look for cars that come and go often that don't look like they belong. 

"Get the plate numbers and give our detectives a call," d'Entremont said. "Unfortunately it's too lucrative of a business, so it's out there."

Just last Friday, a 28-year-old Dorchester man was arrested on Sprague Street in connection to alleged drug activity near the Manor.

Police arrested Wilfredo Morales for allegedly driving with a revoked license and providing false identification.

D'Entremont said K-9 units sniffed the car for drugs, but came up empty handed. 

"No product was discovered, but he was identified and I hope he'll think twice about coming back," d'Entremont said.