When longtime Sterling resident Scott Blakeney retired from the Worcester Police Department on September 9, after working his entire 33-year law enforcement career there, he wanted to do so with as little fanfare as possible. His co-workers, family and friends had a different plan and surprised him with a retirement party that evening at La Scala Ristorante in Worcester.
“It was a surprise right up until I was getting ready to leave my house, at which point I couldn’t stop smiling,” Blakeney says, recalling the celebration. “It was attended by those I worked with, past coworkers, supervisors, family and friends. I was humbled and honored beyond words. It became apparent to me that it was all worthwhile when my supervisor gave a speech and announced he was saddened that I would not be at work on Monday.”
Blakeney was born and raised in Worcester, the city he would eventually serve in as a police officer. He said that although he can’t say he always wanted to be a police officer, the older he got the more “attracted” to the job he became. He is the only member of his family to go into law enforcement.
After graduating from Burncoat High School in Worcester, Blakeney joined the United States Coast Guard Reserve in 1982 and served for six years. He married his wife Patty in 1984 and at the age of 26 entered the Worcester Police Academy.
Blakeney worked his way up from overnight shifts in the operations division of the Worcester Police Department, where he answered calls for service, to the vice squad’s Strike Force Team, working in uniform as well as plain clothes to address street crime issues such as drugs, prostitution, and violent crimes – mostly in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood. After the unit was disbanded due to budget cuts Blakeney was assigned to the Great Brook Valley Housing Task Force for four years, where he was responsible for patrol and calls for service.
Blakeney and Patty moved to Sterling in 1994 and raised their three children here – Ryan, 30, Hillary, 27, and Casey, 24.
“We’ve loved living and raising our children here in Sterling,” says Blakeney. “It’s been a pleasure, and it makes me proud watching them grow and succeed.”
Blakeney has had a varied and interesting career in law enforcement. In 1995, he was assigned to the Auto Theft Unit, run out of the Detective Bureau, where in plain clothes he conducted auto theft investigations and recovered stolen cars. As auto thefts began to subside, Blakeney shifted his focus to major crimes such as homicide, violent crimes, and white collar crimes.
As if working full-time and raising three kids with his wife didn’t keep him busy enough, Blakeney went on to earn an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester in 1998, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Curry College in Milton in 2000, and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England University in Springfield in 2002.
“One of my proudest moments was having my kids see me graduate with my master’s degree at the age of 43, as I wanted them to see it’s never too late,” he says.
While still a detective, Blakeney became a liaison in 2004 for the Worcester Police Department, working with the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts conducting insurance fraud investigations. That same year, he also became a member of the Forensic Video Unit, which was responsible for the retrieval, analysis, dissemination and storage of all video evidence for crimes captured on surveillance systems within the City of Worcester.
“I’m proud of the career I chose with the knowledge of having tried to be fair to all with whom I have dealt,” he says.
In the fall of 2016 Blakeney requested an assignment to the Cyber Crimes Unit and was “honored” to become a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which primarily focused on the exploitation of children through the internet.
Blakeney says that after enjoying a few months off, and a trip to Key West with Patty this winter, he may return to work in some capacity. He says he will miss his co-workers, and the victims “that truly need our efforts” the most.
“The most rewarding part of my job was the appreciation I earned from those I worked with and worked for,” he says. “I’m extremely thankful to all those who had confidence in me and the job I did.”