Torres was killed after being struck by a construction vehicle at a water line replacement project off Pontoosic Road. Watch video
This is an updated version of a story posted at 2:04 this afternoon.
Westfield Police Capt. Hippolito Nunez, left, and Olga Gonzales, of Westfield, talk to reporters about fallen police officer Jose Torres at a press conference Thursday.WESTFIELD – Veteran Police Officer Jose Torres always wore a smile both on and off duty and always saw the positive things in life even during negative and dangerous situations, colleagues and friends said Thursday.
The 53-year-old Torres, decorated at least twice for heroism, was killed while on traffic duty assignment at a construction project site on Pontoosic Road Thursday.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik called Torres a “great ambassador for the Westfield Police Department. Jose Torres was one of those police officers you always want to have in the department.”
Torres’ death is another blow to the law enforcement community and Western Massachusetts residents reeling from recent attacks on officers. A Westfield police officer was stabbed April 7; state trooper John Vasquez was wounded when a man opened fire on downtown Chicopee April 13; Chicopee officer Jeffrey Couture was beaten April 15; and Springfield patrolman Kevin Ambrose was shot and killed June 4. The officers were responding to domestic calls.
In addition, a retired Springfield patrolman, George Stuart, shot himself in the abdomen in a failed suicide attempt July 18 in Ludlow.
Westfield Police Capt. Michael A. McCabe, who joined the department with Torres 27 years ago, called the officer “The best, very simple.
Jose Torres“He was a great, great guy. We came on the force together, we trained together, we served together,” said McCabe. “Jose was the kindest individual you would ever want to meet.”
The responsibility of publicly reporting Torres’ death fell on childhood friend Police Captain Hipolito Nunez who had joined the department six months earlier than the fallen officer.
“His passion was helping people,” said Nunez. “Jose always saw everything as positive. He will be missed dearly. I will miss him forever,” the captain said.
Torres may become eligible for a promotion to sergeant posthumously if state legislation, pending in Boston, is approved by the state Legislature.
On Beacon Hill, state Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, a Springfield Democrat, filed legislation last week that seeks to increase the pensions of police and firefighters killed while in the performance of their duties. The pension would go to a spouse or children if a spouse is deceased.
Coakley-Rivera’s bill would give an automatic promotion to the dead public safety officer, hiking the pension. The promotion would be to a rank that the officer would have been expected to attain during a career, she said.
“Police Officers and firefighters put their lives on the line on a daily basis to ensure the safety of their community and the Commonwealth as a whole. This legislation will ensure that the loved ones they leave behind will not have to face the added burden of financial hardship,” Coakley-Rivera said in a prepared statement.
The legislation was filed in recognition of the June 4 shooting death of Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose and others. Ambrose was killed while responding to a domestic incident at a Sixteen Acres apartment.
Torres was struck by a dump truck at a water line replacement project on Pontoosic Road shortly before 7:30 a.m. Thursday. He was stabilized at the scene by fellow officers, Fire Department emergency medical technicians and civilians, Nunez reported.
The officer was then transported by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center where he died at about 9:30 a.m..
Throughout the day a steady flow of police and friends was seen at his nearby home.
Torres leaves his wife Kara, an employee at Westfield City Hall and his two sons, Jay, a 2011 graduate from Westfield High School and Christopher, a student at North Middle School.
Firtion Adams Funeral Service at 76 Broad St. is in charge for funeral arrangements which were incomplete Thursday afternoon.
Funeral director James R. Adams characterized Torres as a dedicated family man and a friend to everyone he met. “He was a total family guy. Everything he did was for family,” Adams said.
Police Sgt. Stephan Dickinson, community police supervisor, said Torres was “truly a family guy”, remembering several times witnessing Torres at the gym. “He was always there with his boys,” Dickinson said. “He was a good cop, always calm regardless of the situation and people on the street respected him,” the sergeant said.
Pontoosic Road is located off Little River and Feeding Hills roads in the southeastern section of the city. It serves a hilltop residential neighborhood of single family homes that abuts Southwick.
The construction project involves a $7 million water line replacement from a Westfield water treatment plant located off Shaker Road to West Springfield. The general contractor is Revoli Construction of North Reading.
The accident investigation is on-going by state and Westfield police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Nunez said. He would not discuss specific details of the accident, citing the investigation.
The construction site was closed by police and OSHA immediately following the accident and Pontoosic Road was closed to traffic. The road reopened several hours later and construction was allowed to resume at about 1:30 p.m., Nunez said.
Torres was recognized by the Police Department in July 1996 when prevented a man from attempting suicide on a second-story fire escape on Broad Street. The officer was injured in that incident and left with a permanent scar on his face.
In February, 2000, he was recognized again when he deployed a stringer spike, designed to stop speeding vehicles, That commendation cited Torres for his action deploying the spike in front of a speeding vehicle “just seconds before contact.”
Staff writer Dan Ring contributed to this report.