Officer Sean Collier.

Mayor, Board of Alderman to submit  legislation appointing Sean Collier to Somerville Police Department, retire his badge number posthumously

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone will submit a Home Rule Petition to the Somerville Board of Aldermen on Thursday evening, requesting authorization from the State Legislature for the posthumous appointment of fallen MIT Police Officer Sean Collier to the Somerville Police Department.

Sean gave six years of service to the Somerville Police Department serving as a civilian employee, a volunteer Auxiliary Police Officer and Sergeant, and as an unpaid intern. His enrollment in the Transit Police Academy was sponsored by the Somerville Police Department as well, and he was still serving as the department webmaster at the time of his death. Sean would have been offered the opportunity to become a sworn officer on June 3, 2013.

“Sean was determined to become a Somerville Police Officer and gave so much of himself and his time to our police department these past six years. Everyone was looking forward to his swearing in this June,” said Mayor Curtatone. “This small gesture recognizes both his past service to the Somerville Police, as well as the many years of outstanding service that we all know he could have proudly given our entire community.”

Once the home rule petition is approved by the State, a formal appointment ceremony will be held at City Hall. Officer Collier will also be memorialized as an MIT Police Officer killed in the line of duty at both the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial at the State House in Boston.

“We’ve always considered him to be a part of the Somerville Police Department family. There isn’t a person here that he didn’t touch in some way,” said Police Chief Tom Pasquarello. “He never said no. Whatever it was that anyone needed to get done, he would help. This is one small act to honor and remember him that we can now do for him.”