Tisbury Police Officer Dustin Shaw headed to New Orleans Sunday for a 60-day deployment as a U.S. Coast Guard reservist.
Officer Shaw when he left said he was not certain what he would be doing in New Orleans, Tisbury police Sgt. Rodney Silvia said on Monday. However, the Coast Guard currently is helping to monitor the BP oil spill off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as ongoing clean-up operations. Coast Guard Admiral Thad W. Allen is the federal spill response commander.
Officer Shaw grew up in Oak Bluffs. He graduated from the United States Coast Guard Basic Training Center in Cape May, N.J., in 2005 as a seaman apprentice, and currently holds the rank of third class boatswain’s mate. He is stationed as a reservist at U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha.
In 2007, Officer Shaw graduated from Norwich University with a degree in criminology, and subsequently attended the Massachusetts State Police Municipal Academy in New Braintree. After graduating from the police academy in September 2008, he was hired as a Tisbury police officer.
“Although it’s unfortunate Officer Shaw’s deployment came at a busy time of year, I certainly understand and support his commitment to the Coast Guard,” Tisbury Police Chief Dan Hanavan said in a phone call with The Times yesterday.
