by THP Admin ·
Friday, September 27, 2024
The newest member of the Harvard Police Department, Officer Fawne Russell, is eager to get to know Harvard and its residents. “If people see me, and they haven’t met me, come up and say ‘Hi’,” she urged in an interview with the Press. She’s already met a few drivers, cyclists, and walkers, she says, while sitting at the roadside in a cruiser checking traffic, but she hopes to meet more.
Russell took her oath of office at Town Hall Aug. 5. Before coming to Harvard, she was a full-time patrol officer for nearly two years in Princeton, the town where she grew up. She had previously served as a part-time officer there since 2016.
“When I first started in Princeton was when Vanessa Marcotte was murdered,” Russell said. The 27-year-old Marcotte was killed in August 2016 in a random attack while taking an afternoon walk in Princeton; a Worcester man later pleaded guilty to the crime. “I never knew [Marcotte],” Russell said, “but … her mom lived in town. She was from the area, and I lived right down the street. So, for me, it felt like a personal attachment to that incident.”
Officers Tim Schaeffer and Fawne Russell (the new backup school resource officer) pose with police dog Franny on the first day of school, Aug. 28. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
After graduating from Wachusett Regional High School, Russell earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Worcester State University. She also trained at the Boylston Police Academy and the Western Massachusetts Police Academy. She is certified as a sexual assault investigator, a rape aggression defense instructor, and an instructor for radKIDS, a widely used curriculum to help children recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations.
“All this self-defense stuff hits home to me,” Russell said, “because of that [Marcotte] incident.” She has worked with Force Defense and Fitness of Holden to arrange women’s self-defense classes, some with teachers who also work with the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation.
Another of Russell’s certifications is as a school resource officer. Officer Timothy Schaeffer—accompanied by his regular companion, Franny—is Harvard’s resource officer during school hours. But Russell, who currently works the shift from 4 p.m. to midnight, says she can be Schaeffer’s backup. “Not everything that happens at the school stays during school hours,” she said. “So it’s helpful to have somebody who maybe knows some of the students or the administrators and the teachers … somebody [who] carries over after those school hours.”
In the radKIDS safety program that she taught for younger children in Princeton, Russell says, children learned “everyday things, like how do you call 911? And when you call 911, what kind of things should you tell them?”
For teens, she also emphasized situational awareness—paying attention to one’s surroundings. “A lot of people, especially younger people, are always on their phones, and they’re not really paying attention,” Russell said. “And you don’t want to create an opportunity to make yourself a victim, yeah?”
While both Harvard and Princeton can be described as small towns, Russell pointed out that Harvard, with its population just over 6,900, is nearly double the size of Princeton, which has about 3,500 people. Russell said working here in a larger police department offers a chance for her to learn from more officers: “A lot of the stuff that we learn, we pick up from other people as well. So you see how someone does something, and you kind of … make it your own. You can pick and choose.”
Despite the difference in size, Russell sees many similarities between the two towns, including the commitment both departments have to community policing. “It seems like, from the people I’ve met, people have planted their roots here, and they really are invested in the town of Harvard. … Officers that are committing their whole career to somewhere, it means that the department is good, the community is good.”
She said she liked the rural environment of Princeton and the people who came to hike Mount Wachusett, and she sees the same appeal in Harvard. “In the same way, there’s a lot of apple orchards here that bring people in. And there’s a lot of scenic areas and hiking areas that bring people in. So it’s that same small community feel to it.”
Russell herself likes to hike whenever she gets the chance, usually with her 4-year-old German shepherd, Kyber. “So we, he and I, go on trips together, and do national parks and go hiking, because it’s a good exercise.” She has visited a number of Civil War battlefields in her travels, including Gettysburg and Antietam. Last year, Russell said, “We did a long trail, drove from Massachusetts all the way down to Virginia, stopped in many of the different historical areas that were on our path, and then some of the hiking areas.” She particularly appreciated hotels that made Kyber welcome.
Among the things Russell has noticed about Harvard is the favorite local viewpoint. “I was surprised to see how many people every single day go up to the overlook on Prospect Hill,” she said. “It’s very beautiful up there.”
And Harvard’s roads have been a new challenge. “In Princeton, I knew the roads very well. Here … I’m sure people have been behind me, and I’m driving very slow because I’m not sure what’s coming up ahead, especially as it gets darker earlier.”
Asked what her goals are, Russell said, “It’s still earlier in my career—I’m kind of trying to be a sponge. And learn, really, what I’m the best at, or what interests me that I can bring a passion to. And then that’ll translate into helping the community.”