Chief O'Loughlin Visits Rotary

He was quick to note that he doesn't have a personal opinion about what is going on, as it is his job to enforce laws and not to express personal opinions about laws. Wow- that almost sounds like a national campaign slogan and a great sound bite for CNN news. He did note that "the town did try to address" this issue a few years back by creating adult entertainment districts within the town by using an â¿¢overlay. In addition to the area under discussion, it was noted that the overlay also designated the upper part of RT 140, as well as Rt 140 from the Hospital to the Hopedale line as adult entertainment districts. Editor Note: Now, I want all Rotarians to think of that bright blue distracting flashing sign that replaced the once beautiful Milford Daily News sign as a positive sign- just think of what it could be flashing. What if there was joint signage between a "legal business" and Dunkin Donuts? The sign might read â¿¢ coffee â¿¢tea or me. I guess it would be known as a "sign of the times". Oops that's a big digression, so back to the meeting. The chief reminded all Rotarians that the town does have a "38 page document of detailed rules and regulations" that any adult entertainment establish must abide by. The chief briefed members on many of the rules and pointed out that an adult club also has to have a lot of security and that the police must always be welcomed immediately if they stop by for routine "unannounced" visits. There was also a general discussion of the "400" foot rule as it pertains to adults entertainment establishments. The chief also spoke about the "rights of those on both sides of the issue" and said it "will play out in time" and it is his job to just make sure all laws are followed, reiterating that it's his job to enforce state laws and town by laws and the department takes that responsibility very seriously. In response to a question by a Rotarian, the chief said â¿¢yes Milford is still a pass through center for drugs from the south, moving north. He said part of his job is to work with other law enforcement groups, as well as the federal agents, to continue to address these challenges. O'Loughlin said that nowadays a lot of information is shared between law agencies at many levels and that is both helpful and productive. He noted it can be a big help on something as simple as "graffiti or issues as tough as gang movements." O'Loughlin went on to discuss how the "family court" scenario works at the Milford courthouse thanks to cooperation between detectives, the judge, Wayside, and Riverside with everyone working together to provide best solutions. He spoke on this topic for a while but unfortunately my cell phone went off and I had to leave the room for 5 minutes. Guess I will expect to be fined by Mike P or his stand-in at next Tuesday's meeting. As in the past, Chief O'Loughlin's visit was informative and entertaining because of his pleasant, caring and outgoing manner and the way he expresses his concerns about solutions to Milford's problems. For those of you that don't know it, I am exercising serious restraint not to go into my photo archives to dig out one of my favorite fun photos of a prior visit by the chief to the Milford Rotary club. That said, I will tip my hand a little by saying "the photo captured the chief standing next to a bear wearing red boxing gloves." Great program Vera. By the way _ I will post a photo of the chief speaking next week after my laptop gets back from Texas where it is undergoing major rehab after I tipped a cup of coffee on it. Guess I should have gone to McDonalds for one of those Senior Discount Coffees and saved a bundle.