Fitchburg State University’s police program, in association with its Criminal Justice Club, will host a panel discussion for Women in Law Enforcement at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4 in Weston Auditorium, 353 North St. Admission is free and open to the public.
The panel was assembled with assistance from the Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement.
The audience for the talk will include students in the university’s criminal justice police concentration, who in five years complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees in addition to certification to serve in municipal police departments across Massachusetts and neighboring states. The program’s eighth cohort will begin a 17-week academy days after receiving their diplomas at the undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 17.
Panelists for the talk on March 4 will include:
- Springfield Police Lt. Eleni Barbieri, with nearly 20 years experience on the force and 14 years in training and professional development. A seasoned instructor at the Police Academy and Training Division, she specializes in use of force, defensive tactics, firearms, and medical training. She holds an EMT certification and is committed to ensuring officers are well-prepared for high-pressure situations. Lt. Barbieri is also deeply passionate about officer wellness, advocating for physical, mental, and emotional well-being within law enforcement. She strives to equip officers with the skills and resilience needed for a long and healthy career through her work.
- Boston Police Sgt. Det. Amyleigh DeVito, in her 15th year with the department. She is assigned to the areas of Roxbury and Dorchester where she helps oversee 16 detectives who handle general crimes from missing persons and larcenies to shootings and robberies. Before that she was patrol supervisor and spent four years as a detective in Mattapan. In patrol she worked a variety of positions including uniform, plainclothes, bike patrol, co-response with a clinician, walking beats, and traffic cars. She is currently on the BPD Firearms Discharge Investigations Team. She is the Vice President of the MA Association of Women in Law Enforcement.
- Carver Police Officer Krista-Jean Forand holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Nichols College, with a double concentration in Criminal Justice Management and Psychology. Prior to her law enforcement career, she dedicated eight years to Elder Services, where she investigated and supervised elder abuse cases within the Protective Services unit. She also contributed to the fight against human trafficking as part of a street outreach team in the City of New Bedford.
- Tyngsborough Police Officer Olivia King has been a member of the Tyngsborough Police Department since 2021. She graduated as one of only three women in her class at the Reading Academy’s 32nd ROC, and the sole self-sponsored recruit. Since joining the Tyngsborough Police Department, she has been certified as a School Resource Officer (SRO), the department’s car seat technician, is a member of the Marine Unit, and serves as the current Patrol Union President. She has a B.S. in Early Childhood Studies from Plymouth State University. Officer King has a passion for working with children and the elderly, which extends beyond her professional duties and drives her involvement in community outreach programs.
- UMass Worcester Deputy Police Chief Nancy O’Loughlin began her law enforcement career in 1983 with the MBTA Transit Police Department, where her tenure included Patrol Officer, K-9 Officer (the first female K-9 handler at the MBTA Transit PD and among one of the first in the state), Anti-Crime Officer, Sergeant, Sergeant Detective, Lieutenant, and Lieutenant Detective. Deputy Chief O’Loughlin retired from the Transit PD in early 2013 but quickly returned to the field as Patrol Officer for Boston University Police Department and worked as a member of the Bicycle Unit. In 2020 Deputy Chief O’Loughlin took a position as a Sergeant with the University of Massachusetts at Worcester and was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief in 2022. She has been the recipient of many awards and commendations during her career, including the Massachusetts Hana Medal of Valor, Massachusetts Senate Citation for Bravery, Silias Award for K9 Handler, Massachusetts House Citation for Bravery and a Humanitarian Award.
- Waltham Police Lt. Kaitlyn (MacPherson) Mercurio is a lifelong Waltham resident, having graduated from Waltham High School in 2001. She received her bachelor’s degree as a double major in Criminal Justice and Theatre Arts from Stonehill College in 2005. She later received her master’s degree in Criminal Justice from UMass Lowell. She was hired by the Waltham Police Department as a Student Clerk in 2002, became a Cadet in 2005 and started the 13th MPOC Academy in Reading later that year. As an Officer, she worked in the Patrol and Administration Divisions, assisting the Department through five successful Massachusetts Accreditation Commission assessments. She was a longtime member of the Homeless Task Force, as well as a Field Training Officer, until her promotion to Sergeant in October 2017. That same month, she responded to Puerto Rico to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Shortly after her promotion to Sergeant, she took over as the coordinator for the Homeless Task Force, Jail Diversion, and Crisis Intervention Training Programs. In 2019, she was assigned to the Administration Division as the Personnel and Assignments Officer. In that position, she served an integral role in developing, implementing and coordinating the Department’s COVID response plan. She is currently a certified instructor for the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) and a graduate of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Women’s Leadership Institute.