Region Roundup: Officers Train in Easton, Area Synagogues Plan Merge, Man Shot [And More..]

A Tri-Congregational Discussion on Regionalization for three local synagogues was held on Thursday, Feb. 14 at Temple Beth Emunah in Brockton. Representatives of Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton and Temple Beth Am in Randolph also attended the meeting, which attracted over 250 interested parties.

The plan, still in the discussion phase, is for these three temples to merge into one congregation and use an interim site (Temple Beth Emunah) until a new building is constructed.

The recommendation to merge, and begin attending services at the interim location in July of 2014 is not finalized. Each of the temple’s congregations still needs to vote on the plan. The vote is scheduled for April 4, 2013.

Easton Police Officers Train For the Worst

Jason Brennan of the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council scrolled through slides Thursday morning at Oliver Ames High School to train Easton police officers for an "active shooter" scenario.
The object was simple: mentally and physically prepare for the worst.

"It [could be] just a horrific scene," Brennan said. "And, for us to go in there, if we're not mentally prepared for it, that's a bad situation."
Brennan, who also serves as a Sergeant in Medway, led a training session along with Easton Police Officer Steve Hamilton to prepare Easton and Stonehill officers to face a potential gunman in a building.

With February vacation in full swing, Easton School Administrators allowed for use of the high school. The sessions were held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

In the end, the activities surrounding the funeral of LTC Michael Greene wasn’t about responding to a hateful message, it was about saying goodbye a member of the community. In response to a threat from the Westboro Baptist Church to picket the funeral, about 50 people stood at the South Common to pay tribute to Greene as the procession left the church and headed towards the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

Plans for the gathering came together on the afternoon of February 17 when Rev. Ted Newcomb of the Mansfield Congregational Church hosted a meeting to discuss a peaceful response to the picket if it were to happen. Slowly during the discussions, the conversation evolved from dealing with an extremist group to paying tribute to a beloved resident.

"I think everybody at the meeting the other day, they heard especially from the friends of the family what was needed for the family, and to be able to do it this way was really helpful,” Newcomb said.

Drugs may have been the focus of a conflict that led to a man being shot at his Smith Street Rear home late Sunday night. Attleboro police say they found illegal drugs, marijuana plants and more than $24,000 in cash at the home of shooting victim Michael Briggs. He was in stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital as of Monday, police say. A search for the shooting suspects is ongoing, and police are following "several leads," according to a press release from the Attleboro department.