New Police Officer Joins Wakefield Police Department

There's a new police officer in town.

Officer Joseph Anderson, formerly an officer in Salisbury, MA recently joined the Wakefield Police Department.

"We’re very lucky to introduce Officer Joseph Anderson," said Chief Richard Smith of the Wakefield Police Department at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Sept. 26. "Joe comes to very well-trained and very educated. He's a seasoned officer who came to us with a very impressive resume and shows a lot of desire to do the right thing. We're very lucky to have him."

Officer Anderson has a Bachelor's Degree from Suffolk University in Sociology, and a Master's from University of Massachusetts Lowell. He also is certified in DNA collection, advanced roadside driving, computer crime basics, electronic evidence processing and cell phone investigations.

As far as his decision to switch to Wakefield from Salisbury, Officer Anderson said he's had his eye on working for the Town of Wakefield for a while.

"Much like the private sector, police officers talk about where the great towns are to work for," he said, noting that there's talk in police circles about Wakefield being an "excellent" town. "I heard that from not only colleagues of mine, but some officers who work for the Wakefield Police Department now, and I've yet to hear anything negative about the department or the town," he said. "It's been an excellent experience so far."