Piffsfield Police Chief runs regional SWAT team

12:00AM / Wednesday, July 24, 2002Print Story | Email Story

A regional swat team is available to more than half the towns in Berkshire County in the event of a high-risk incident, such as a hostage situation, according to Chief Anthony Riello of the Pittsfield Police Department. Riello was instrumental in bringing together many of the county's police departments to form the Berkshire County Regional Strategic Response Team in November 2000. A mutual aid agreement was established amongst the participating cities and towns. It specifies that the team will respond to incidents in those communities when needed, he said. A $300,000 grant was secured for the growth of the team on December 18, 2000. U.S. Rep. John W. Olver (D-1st District) was instrumental in obtaining the grant for the team, Riello said. The grant money, which is administered through Riello's office and is good for three years, is to be spent on equipment and training and to support the team, including the cost of call-outs for incidents and paying team members, Riello said. Two vehicles were purchased for the team with the grant money. One is a "very useful, versatile" armored swat truck called The Bear, which cost $175,000 and is garaged in Pittsfield, he said. The other, the team's first response vehicle, is a Ford Expedition with special equipment and a weapons locker. The team has been called out "half a dozen to a dozen times," Riello said. It is used in high-risk drug raids, he said. The team is comprised of 22 members, 14 of whom are Pittsfield officers. Seven county police departments have officers on the team, including North Adams, Williamstown, Sheffield, Lee and Great Barrington, Riello said. Pittsfield Police Capt. Cosmo Spezzaferro runs the team, Riello said. Second in command for the team is Lt. Bruce Hugabone. The team trains for four hours usually every other week, Riello said. Role play exercises are one part of their training. An example of a role play they practice is a situation where there is an active shooter or shooters in a school, he said. The team was modeled after a regional team in eastern Massachusetts, he said. Other situations that would involve the team include natural disasters, search-and-rescue operations, mob action, civil disturbances, unusual occurrences and any other situation threatening the peace of the jurisdiction, according to a press release from Olver's office. Prior to regional team forming, the Pittsfield Police Department had its own 14-member swat team, which was absorbed into the regional team and is that team's "nucleus," Riello said. The vehicle that the city purchased was manufactured by Lenco Industries Inc., which has been manufacturing armored vehicles in Pittsfield since 1981. The vehicle is an armored swat truck, a bullet-resistant special response vehicle used in especially hazardous or dangerous police situations, said Len Light, vice president of Lenco. Describing the truck as a "defensive piece of equipment," he said it has the dual purpose of transporting the police into the situation and rescuing those who need to be rescued, he said. In a hostage situation, the swat truck, which is resistant to high-powered assault rifles, would allow the police to get close to the scene, Light said. It is a user-friendly vehicle, which can fit 30 people in the back and has on board stretcher compartments, he said.

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Andrew Fitch Launches Bid for State Representative in North Berkshire

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Tuesday, February 03, 2026

Candidate Andrew Fitch gets a hug from his mother, Sara Prouty, who introduced him.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Andrew Fitch announced his run for state representative to an enthusiastic crowd on Tuesday morning.

The two-term city councilor stressed his energy, commitment and campaign priorities of economic development, housing and regional relationships for the 13 communities in the 1st Berkshire.

"There are a lot of municipalities to be in, and I have that energy and drive and interest and love a good road trip," he said, speaking to the crowd at Steeple City Social, a popular lounge/cafe that he runs with business partner Meghan Daly. "A lot of people have asked me for my fresh energy and my fresh blood, and that is what I give to you, maybe not literally my blood, but I certainly get my fresh energy and ideas and drive."

Afterward, Fitch said he'd been approached several times over the past few years about running for state representative. But he was just getting on the City Council, opening a business and involved in community activities, so it didn't seem to be the right time.

"Now that I have more time under my belt, I've been in two terms as a city councilor, and Steeple City Social is up and running and is almost a year old," he said. "It is now sustainable, not on its own, but without me having to work all the time here, I knew that I could take this on."

Fitch is mounting a Democratic primary challenge to John Barrett III, who won the seat in a special election in 2017 after the death of state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi. Since then, he's only had one primary challenger, Paula Kingsbury-Evans, a college student at the time, who he beat handily by 43 points.

Fitch was raised in Marshfield and moved to North Adams five or six years ago — becoming immediately involved the community. He's a founder of North Adams Pride (now part of Berkshire Pride), a co-organizer of First Fridays and a board member of the North Adams Chamber of Commerce. A small-business owner, he's served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and for a short time on the Airport Commission, to which is now liaison from the council.

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