To the delight of neighbors, Whalley’s former top cop is returning to the district after a year-and-a-half absence.
Sgt. Stephen Shea (pictured), who headed the Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hills (WEB) policing district for five years between 2003 and 2008, will be promoted to lieutenant on Wednesday. Along with his promotion, he’s being reassigned to his former post as WEB’s top cop, replacing Lt. Leo Bombalicki, who is moving up to the rank of captain. Officials will promote 20 cops to various ranks at a 5 p.m. ceremony at Nathan Hale School Wednesday.
Since Shea left in early 2008, WEB has gone through several changes of leadership. In the last year and a half, the district has had three different lieutenants in charge. Neighbors hope that Shea’s return to WEB marks an end to a period of rapid leadership transitions at what is arguably the city’s most active community management team.
Shea said Tuesday that he’s happy to get back to his former home turf.
“I left a big part of my heart out there when I left,” Shea said. During his five years at WEB Shea developed close ties to the people and officers in the area, he said. “I’m glad to be going back.”
After leaving WEB in 2008, Shea spent some time with the department’s crime scene investigations unit. For the past year, he’s been in charge of the burglary and financial crimes unit. He’ll be replaced there by Sgt. Herb Sharp.
Shea said he doesn’t have any one goal set for his return to WEB. He said he’ll talk to Lt. Bombalicki, his officers, and neighbors to see what the current crime issues are. “We’ll gather what the pulse of the community’s been,” he said.
“I’m anticipating a smooth transition,” Shea said.
So is Bob Caplan, the former three-term chair of the WEB management team, who stepped down in June. “I’m also very pleased,” said Caplan about the transition.
“He knows the issues with the neighborhood,” Caplan said. “He will return with new energy … and the ability to continue the momentum” created by Lt. Bombalicki.
Caplan mentioned several areas in need of continued police attention in the neighborhood: petty crime, bike crimes, and the “improper use of Beaver Pond Park,” including drinking.
Nan Bartow, an active WEB member who heads the Friends of Beaver Pond Park group, also said she looks forward to Shea’s return.
“He was very personable,” she said. “He knew who we all were. Also he stayed with us.”
Bartow shared fond memories of Shea’s attendance at local block parties, where he would bring his children. “That was an added plus,” Bartow said.
Like Caplan, Bartow had positive words for the outgoing lieutenant. “We did like Lt. Bombalicki,” Bartow said. “He helped to clean up a lot of things.” Bartow mentioned the crackdown on illegal ATVs as a highlight of Bombalicki’s legacy.
Bartow said that she hopes that Shea continues to “monitor the cars that come into the neighborhood to do drug activity.”
Lt. Bombalicki, meanwhile, will assume command of the department’s traffic and emergency service units. He said that those units have been folded under the command of Capt. Denise Blanchard, who also oversees patrol.
While he looks forward to his new assignment, Bombalicki added that he enjoyed working with WEB, one of the city’s most active neighborhoood teams.
“I learned a lot. I met a lot of great people,” he said. “I’ll be there for them.”