WILMINGTON, MA — On Wednesday, July 1, the Wildwood Warriors held a meeting at the Wilmington Memorial Library to discuss how to stop theft at the Wildwood Cemetery.
A Volunteer Steps Up To Assist Wilmington Police
Ray Regan, a private governmental security company employee sympathetic to the group’s cause, has volunteered to assist the Wilmington Police Department in helping catch the culprit(s). He will be be meeting with Chief Michael Begonis and command staff, possibly as early as this week, to flesh out his role and his relationship with law enforcement.
While Regan couldn’t delve into the details of the tactics he’ll be using, he urged all cemetery visitors to be “situationally aware” of those around them. Think twice, for example, if you see someone carrying a shovel, or someone wearing clothes that doesn’t match the weather.
“Please report any suspicious activity,” stressed Regan. “When people start reporting missing items, we will start to see trends — what items are being stolen, where are the items being stolen from, when are the items being stolen. Our biggest gap, right now, is informational.”
Wilmington Police Department Understands Concerns
Wilmington Detective Pat Nally and Lt. Detective Brian Pupa also spoke during the meeting.
“We share your frustrations,” Nally told the group, noting that a majority of Wilmington Police Officers have family buried at the cemetery.
Besides a 2013 investigation that led to an arrest, Nally said that investigations into theft at the cemetery haven’t been very successful.
It certainly hasn’t been due to a lack of trying, however, as Nally has placed a surveillance camera “in a million different spots” and conducted many sting operations with donations from Designs by Dons. He noted that police will patrol the area at night when flashlights are seen in the cemetery. And while Nally acknowledged theft is “way under-reported” at Wildwood and at public cemeteries in general, he also suggested that many items placed at gravestones — such as flowers and flags — are simply blown away by the wind.
Pupa acknowledged that theft at the Wildwood Cemetery has been an issue for many years and that it seems to flare up from time to time. He said that police do, in fact, walk through the cemetery frequently, but emphasized it’s difficult to question people who may just be there to pay their respect to their loved ones.
Who Is Actually Doing All This Stealing?
The group speculated as to who is responsible for the ongoing theft problems. Drug addicts? Someone running an online flower business? Misbehaving kids?
Because of the relatively little financial value attached to most of the stolen items, several in the audience believed the culprit isn’t motivated by money, but by the “thrill” of getting away with it. He or she probably keeps the items in a collection as “trophies.”
Detective Nally agreed it likely wasn’t some band of misbehaving kids as the theft is too consistent. He also doubted it was drug addicts because the items typically aren’t worth much and would need to be turned around very quickly. Nally has had very little luck following up with missing cemetery items at flea markets and on Craigslist. He noted the thief’s logic is often difficult to follow — bypassing valuable objects to steal inexpensive ones.
Lt. Detective Pupa said the culprits are probably coming right through the front gate, suggesting a fence around the entire cemetery may not serve much of a purpose. Pupa also argued that residents should be allowed in the cemetery after dark, as some may work strange hours or may just have an urge to visit the grave of a loved one late at night due to loneliness or to celebrate a birthday or anniversary.
What Can The Public Do?
Detective Nally encouraged residents to contact the Wilmington Police Department when they suspect any items they’ve placed at gravestones have been stolen. Report it immediately, regardless of the item’s monetary value.
Nally also encouraged residents to contact the Department if they witness any sort of suspicious behavior in the cemetery.
“Be observant. If you see something strange, call. If it turns out to be nothing, it’s no big deal,” assured Nally.
To learn more about this issue and how you can help the grassroot “Wildwood Warriors” movement, like their Facebook page, organized by founder Darleen Pacheco-Champoux.
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Wilmington Apple 
Everyone should file police reports, even for the smallest theft at the cemetery. That way Chief Begonis will have an idea of the widespread scope of the issue. Police should challenge groups of teens hanging out there.