Late Boston Police Officer DJ Simmonds Honored With Playground
RANDOLPH (CBS) – It has been seven years since police officer Dennis "D.J." Simmonds died from injuries he suffered during the Boston Marathon bombing.
However, a new playground in Belcher Park in Randolph, where Simmonds often played as a child, will honor his memory.
Volunteers made quick work, erecting the playground in just three days. The playground was organized by a nonprofit foundation Where Angels Play, which has built 55 of these across the country in tribute to local heroes.
"It is, in fact, a tribute to an outstanding young man who has left an indelible mark on all of us here in Randolph," said Randolph Councilman Ken Clifton.
Simmonds died in 2014 from injuries he suffered a year earlier when a bomb went off near him in Watertown during a police shootout with the Boston Marathon bombers. He was 28.
His former partner said Simmonds was an excellent role model who mastered the secret of community policing.
"If you treat people like you treat your family, the world will just be a better place," said Simmonds partner and Boston police officer Ciro Feliciano
The playground's sign features a picture of Simmonds playing catch with a child.
"I ask that you pay it forward today and do what you can to do to help someone," said Simmonds' uncle, Larry Grant.
