# Remember the Registry Police?



## wolf9848

The Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Inspectors Association - Home Page

Well, I don't remember the Department much since I was a kid when the merge happened, but I came across this link that has a lot of interesting information covering the history of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Police Department. I've always been fascinated with the departments that existed prior to the big merge with the Massachusetts State Police.


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## Guest

Back in the day, nothing instilled fear in a teenage driver more than the appearance of a white RMV Police cruiser.

When I was a BHA cop, they used to go into Roxbury and Mattapan and hammer traffic enforcement to give the BPD guys a break. You could always tell when they had been out, because the traffic docket at Roxbury/West Roxbury court was about 5 pages long the next week.


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## cc3915

Yeah, I remember that too Delta. There were a lot of good guys working those enforcement assignments in Boston. They used to hit Blue Hill Ave. really hard.

I recall when I was a local officer on the Cape, the RMV used to come in to town on some Saturday nights from 4-mid with about 6 cruisers and do OUI enforcement. The problem with this was, the bars closed at 1 am. On one of these evenings, after they secured, we had two separate fatals and three other serious PI accidents, all OUI's. I could never figure out why they went home at midnight.

There were also RMV officers assigned to the Governor's Auto Theft Strike Force when I was there. I used to ride and work cases with many of them. All good guys and very good investigators.


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## wolf9848

Where did the RMV Police operate out of? Every RMV station? Any idea what academy they went through?


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## Guest

wolf9848 said:


> Where did the RMV Police operate out of? Every RMV station? Any idea what academy they went through?


Their main station was at RMV HQ on Nashua Street, but there were some assigned to branch offices. They required the full MCJTC academy, and for awhile operated their own academy out of Needham.


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## cc3915

wolf9848 said:


> Where did the RMV Police operate out of? Every RMV station? Any idea what academy they went through?


If I remember correctly, every RMV office had at least one Inspector working out of it. Some of the bigger ones had more. They also ran their special patrol and investigative units out of their HQ at 100 Nashua St., Boston. As far as their academy, I know they once ran it out of Topsfield somewhere.


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## GD

Delta784 said:


> Back in the day, nothing instilled fear in a teenage driver more than the appearance of a white RMV Police cruiser.
> .


I can remember living is Quincy and there was nothing worse than seeing the white RMV cruiser on Quincy Shore Drive along with the Mets(not the baseball team)!


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## cc3915

The Registry Police was the first department to have a "Fatal Team" or Accident Recon. Unit. They were called in by other departments to help investigate most of the fatal crashes across the state.


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## Goose

I actually saw a Registry Police license plate about five or six years ago.

It was on a golf-cart type electric vehicle...I shit you not.


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## Guest

cc3915 said:


> The Registry Police was the first department to have a "Fatal Team" or Accident Recon. Unit. They were called in by other departments to help investigate most of the fatal crashes across the state.


As RMV employees, they also could (and often did) suspend your right to operate on the spot, one of the reasons why they were so feared.


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## firefighter39

Don't forget the Godfather of CPR - Jim Tzitson! He held the MCJTC 1st Repsponder program togther for many years


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## WaterPistola

frank said:


> I actually saw a Registry Police license plate about five or six years ago.
> 
> It was on a golf-cart type electric vehicle...I shit you not.


What a Wacker


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## Wiggum_1

Delta784 said:


> Back in the day, nothing instilled fear in a teenage driver more than the appearance of a white RMV Police cruiser.
> 
> When I was a BHA cop, they used to go into Roxbury and Mattapan and hammer traffic enforcement to give the BPD guys a break. You could always tell when they had been out, because the traffic docket at Roxbury/West Roxbury court was about 5 pages long the next week.


I second that Delta, had to take my test 2 times. It must of been worse when the Staties were doing it.


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## WaterPistola

Wiggum_1 said:


> I second that Delta, had to take my test 2 times. It must of been worse when the Staties were doing it.


Not if you have a trooper from the "100 years new" video.


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## Guest

mtc said:


> Nowadays "hitting BH Pkwy heavy" is decry'd as "profiling".


The Registry cops were equal opportunity....they stuck it to *everyone*.


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## misconceived

Delta784 said:


> As RMV employees, they also could (and often did) suspend your right to operate on the spot, one of the reasons why they were so feared.


I was amazed as a little kid at the "collection" of licenses my grandfather had on his desk as an Inspector. Least I know where my love for chapter 90 enforcement derives from. :smug:


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## Guest

misconceived said:


> I was amazed as a little kid at the "collection" of licenses my grandfather had on his desk as an Inspector. Least I know where my love for chapter 90 enforcement derives from. :smug:


I hate traffic enforcement like poison, but ironically enough, I was called for the RMV Police job back in 1989. I had taken every police exam and applied everywhere under the sun after I got out of the Army, and had scored 100 for the Registry test.

I was a Boston Housing cop at the time, and there were all sorts of rumors of our funding being cut, so I went through the whole process for the RMV in hopes of a more stable job. I passed everything, was offered the job, accepted it, and then everything was put on hold due to the pending merger, which of course happened.


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## WaterPistola

WaterPistola said:


> Not if you have a trooper from the "100 years new" video.


Needless to say, it was an easy test for me.


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## Guest

Q5-TPR said:


> I am a Ch 90 guy. It also opens the doors for so much more... My personal favorite: Ch 90/s 6- The Plate Light! The plate light has been the downfall for so many!


I just can't get into it, although I will obviously stop a car for a blatant violation, and I have stopped cars for 90-6. The most ironic thing is that if the RMV Police hired me back in 1989, I would have become a state trooper in 1992.

Imagine the ramifications? Dogs and cats may have decided to love one another, and Islam and Christianity might now be at peace.

Just kidding....no offense to MSP, but I still would have jumped (from RMV or MSP) to my current job. If I'm going to miserable in a good-paying job, I'd rather keep it local.


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## 9319

Sharp uniforms I think!


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## 1jimmy

Delta784 said:


> Their main station was at RMV HQ on Nashua Street, but there were some assigned to branch offices. They required the full MCJTC academy, and for awhile operated their own academy out of Needham.


i was one of those registry inspectors. the academy was at the topfield civil defense sight and later move to the state police in framingham where i went in 1977 they did have some limit courses in needham but i only vague remember. there were 2 or three inspectors in each office mainly to do driving tests and a lot of the cruisers you saw on the road were not on patrol because every inspector had other duties assigned to him or her. the main hq at nashua st housed license and reg and many other sections such as medical, merit rating, license suspension hearings etc, with a sub station at 160 no. wash. st. as far as a registry plate on a golf cart i'm suprised theres only one and i guarantee you that it belongs to a retired inspector. just as strange occasionally we would get a number plate from the prison stamped out in the shape of an ashtray. i retired 8 years ago as a supervising hearings officer and if i had it to do over again i would not change a thing. a fantastic career.


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## firefighter39

1jimmy said:


> i was one of those registry inspectors. the academy was at the topfield civil defense sight


I got my first RADAR cert at Topsfield. I also remember the "motorboat" police (I think it was recreational vehicle and motorboat police) being there


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## 1jimmy

firefighter39 said:


> I got my first RADAR cert at Topsfield. I also remember the "motorboat" police (I think it was recreational vehicle and motorboat police) being there


i remember in 1971 they called it registry of motor boats and i think that was pretty much when it first started and that somewhere down the road it was renamed marine and recreational vehicles. the only reason i know that is i was working at the registry of motor vehicles in taunton then and a guy named bob burns who was a motorboat guy use to come in and visit and in those days they offered free courses on reading charts and boating safety. topsfield, the only reason i know about it is i use to have conversations with my dad about it who was also a inspector mid 1950's -1980


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## Guest

1jimmy said:


> i was one of those registry inspectors. the academy was at the topfield civil defense sight and later move to the state police in framingham where i went in 1977 they did have some limit courses in needham but i only vague remember.


Back in the 80's they had their own academy at the MCJTC facility in Needham, I worked with a guy who graduated from it.


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## 1jimmy

Delta784 said:


> Back in the 80's they had their own academy at the MCJTC facility in Needham, I worked with a guy who graduated from it.


very curious on this one! i was a supervising hearings officer at the time they were using needham and would have to attend meetings there and i remember seeing inspector lapromotto from the registry and trp ardita from the sp conducting classes but missed the full academy thing because needham was just a old high school i thought. was the guy you worked with a registry inspector? any more info will be greatly appreciated maybe something might jog my brain!


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## Guest

1jimmy said:


> very curious on this one! i was a supervising hearings officer at the time they were using needham and would have to attend meetings there and i remember seeing inspector lapromotto from the registry and trp ardita from the sp conducting classes but missed the full academy thing because needham was just a old high school i thought. was the guy you worked with a registry inspector? any more info will be greatly appreciated maybe something might jog my brain!


Yes, the Needham Academy was indeed an old school....my experience with it was limited to my academy pre-screening (PT test, where I had to run around that ridiculously small indoor track about 500 times to make 1.5 miles) and for in-service training for 1-2 years.

The guy I worked with went through the Needham RMV Academy as a Boston Housing cop, and is now on the Transit Police.


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## 1jimmy

Delta784 said:


> Yes, the Needham Academy was indeed an old school....my experience with it was limited to my academy pre-screening (PT test, where I had to run around that ridiculously small indoor track about 500 times to make 1.5 miles) and for in-service training for 1-2 years.
> 
> The guy I worked with went through the Needham RMV Academy as a Boston Housing cop, and is now on the Transit Police.


thanks for the info, but i don''t remember any of that and now i am thinking it may have been because of the time frame. i was all done attending meetings there in the late 80's. anyway thanks again!


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## seneca rmv

Thanks for all the kind words about the R.M.V. but did you know we were the Highway Patrol at one time


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## pahapoika

Was coming back from Nantasket Beach many moons ago and the sense of impending doom fell over us when we saw the white registry cruiser sitting at the Hingham rotary.

Luck befell us as they found a fresh victim in one of the cars before us and we made it past unmolested


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