BEVERLY, Mass. -- The police officer who nearly died when shot by a Hamilton sergeant last February has returned to active duty.
Jason Lantych has been back on the job since Aug. 13, working a day patrol shift, Beverly Police Chief Mark Ray said.
"I am happy to be back and resume my career with the Beverly Police Department," Lantych said via email. "I feel blessed to be able to continue to serve the city of Beverly. I extend many thanks to the citizens of Beverly, my colleagues and my family for their overwhelming support, which inspired my recovery and got me back doing the job I love."
Lantych, 35, was shot in the thigh and wrist on Feb. 24 by Hamilton Police Sgt. Kenneth Nagy outside the Starbacks on Route 1A in Beverly. Police said bystanders who rushed to Lantych's aid and worked to stop the bleeding likely saved his life.
Nagy fled, but returned to the scene hours later and killed himself with a gunshot to the head.
An investigation by Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office concluded that Nagy was upset over a perceived relationship between Lantych and Nagy's wife, Kate, who worked in the Beverly Police Department's domestic violence unit.
Lantych, a 10-year veteran of the Beverly Police Department, had been on paid sick leave since the shooting and underwent extensive physical rehabilitation. Ray said he had to pass a battery of physical and mental examinations before he was allowed to return to work.
A doctor representing the city reviewed the findings of Lantych's own doctors and concurred with their conclusion that Lantych was fit to return to duty, Ray said.
"H
e was very determined to return to the Beverly Police Department," Ray said. "He's well-known in the community and he's had a lot of community support. A lot of people have contacted him directly. I'm glad he's back. He's a very good officer."
An internal affairs investigation commissioned by Ray after the shooting concluded that Lantych did not violate any Beverly Police Department rules. But the investigator, former Methuen police Chief Bruce MacDougall, said the city and Police Department lack policies regarding personal relationships in the workplace.
Ray said the department is working on its rules and regulations, which govern an officer's code of conduct, but that there is "clearly some gray area" in dealing with an employee's relationships.
"The question is, how much does our organization want to control the relationships of people who work for us?" he said. "We have standards in place that talk about proper conduct on and off the job. We have held officers accountable for their actions off the job if it's appropriate, so we do have standards in place."
Kate Nagy, who was employed by the victim-advocate agency HAWC and was assigned to the Beverly Police Department's domestic violence unit, has not returned to work, HAWC Executive Director Candace Waldron said.
Ray said Kate Nagy's position as a victim advocate in the department's domestic violence unit has been filled.
Copyright 2012 - Gloucester Daily Times, Mass.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
