Police officer records history through photos
Sgt. Whittemore took this photo in the rear of a cruiser going to a call with Officer Chris Fritts.
Wellesley police Sergeant Scott Whittemore was making his usual midnight rounds with a camera on the passenger seat of his cruiser, when he spotted a fox crossing the street. His interest was piqued, so he kept watching, and as the fox approached a skunk in the grass, he started taking pictures.
Whittemore dubbed the series of photos, which depict the skunk spraying the fox, “Battle at Village Church” on his website. The tagline reads, “A fox stalks a skunk in the graveyard behind the Village Church. (Sometimes it's quiet on the NightWatch.)”
Whittemore began his website, Wellesley PD Photo, around five years ago when the sergeant could no longer keep up with requests for copies of his photos featured in Wellesley PD’s annual Open House slideshow.
Whittemore has been a photographer for most of his life, working free-lance for The Boston Globe when he was in high school. When he joined the force about 15 years ago, other officers asked him to photograph crime scenes and accidents.
He began taking “behind-the-scenes” pictures of other officers on his shift, which is why his website describes its mission as “photographing Wellesley Police Department history.” His collection documents new uniforms, cruisers and even a new station.
“There were a lot of changes in past 10 to 15 years,” Whittemore said. “It’s amazing to look back at how much younger officers look, and the ones who are retired.”
Whittemore can even look back at all the photography equipment he has gone through on the job. One of his favorite photos was the result of experimenting with a new camera in the dark. The picture depicts dispatcher Bobby Rowe standing at a desk and looking out at the security cameras on the night watch.
“It’s not a particularly great photo, but it summed up what we do here, the eternal watch type of thing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Whittemore said.
Whittemore said he keeps his digital Nikon camera with him at all times while working. The Nikon takes good pictures in all weather conditions, he said, even in the middle of a cold winter night.
“At ten degrees below zero, It works like a champ,” he said.
Visit Sargeant Scott Whittemore’s website at www.wellesleypdphoto.com.
Waiting for Twitter to feed in the latest...