With biggest heart, he faced toughest crime - Lowell Sun

Lowell Detective Sgt. Frank Waterman and his wife Dorothy share a laugh at his retirement party in April 2006. Waterman, long a leading undercover officer, died April 9 at 68. SUN FILE PHOTO

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LOWELL -- Francis "Frank" Waterman spent much of his 32-year career doing the most dangerous and difficult jobs that Lowell police had to offer, from major undercover work to busting down doors in the middle of the crack cocaine scourge of the 80's and 90's.

But Waterman never lost his sense of compassion, and never stopped loving his job.

Waterman died peacefully on April 9 after a battle with cancer. He was 68.

When the legendary narcotics detective retired in 2006, he emailed colleagues saying he was most thankful for two things: To have finished his career alive, and to have almost never gone into work not loving what he was doing.

"Sometimes the job just fits. You get the round peg in the round hole," Waterman wrote at the time.

Lowell Capt. Bill Taylor, now police superintendent, shares some memories with Detective Sgt. Frank Waterman as his wife Dorothy laughs at Waterman's retirement party in April 2006. SUN FILE PHOTO

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"I just felt good about doing this job."

Waterman is described as a "legend" or "icon," depending on which former colleague you talk to. And among those colleagues are several men who would eventually far outrank Waterman, even as they never stopped admiring him.

"Frank Waterman was one of those guys who, as I rose through the ranks, I still looked up to," said retired Deputy Chief Arthur Ryan Jr. "He was an old-school, good street cop and I admired him and his abilities on the street and I admired the way he treated his people who worked for him. He got the best out of us."

Ryan; former Superintendent Ed Davis, who went on to become Boston's police commissioner; Superintendent William Taylor; former Deputy Chief Bob DeMoura, who went on to become Fitchburg's police chief; and retired state police Colonel Mark Delaney are among those who worked closely with Waterman.

But while they climbed the ranks, Waterman, a sergeant, became Lowell's first detective to join the Major Crimes Unit, Vice Narcotics Unit, and Cross Border Initiative, a task force led by the Drug Enforcement Agency that remains active today.

While some now question the effectiveness of the war on drugs nationwide, Davis and other colleagues of Waterman say there is no debate about Waterman's impact on Lowell as he worked to combat drugs.

Describing the late 80's and early 90's as "the most dangerous times I've seen in police work," Taylor said Waterman worked on street-level crime and did undercover drug work in an era when drug use drove far more violent crime than today's opiate epidemic.

"We used to have open drug markets in the city and certain streets you couldn't drive down," Taylor said. "Those were the highest crime levels we've experienced in this city."

In the decade that followed, crime in Lowell was cut by about 60 percent, Taylor said.

"He went up against the bad guys toe to toe and never backed down. He was incredibly courageous," Davis said. "The city is safer now, and Frank was a big part of making that so."

DeMoura, too, credited Waterman with the strides the city made during those years, especially the elimination of open drug markets.

"That's something Frank accomplished," DeMoura said.

Waterman was Lowell's Police Officer of the Year in 1987, for his work supervising the Major Crime Unit, and earned citations and recognition for his work from local, state and federal agencies from as far away as Atlantic City.

DeMoura said that despite the danger Waterman and his officers faced, they rarely had to resort to force.

"We arrested thousands of people and we never killed anybody. We never had a violent encounter," DeMoura said, noting that it was rare for Waterman and his men to even draw their guns.

That was due to Waterman's training, preparation, and work to ensure officers were protected before moving in.

"It wasn't by chance or luck," DeMoura said. "It was due to being a professional like he was and knowing what he was doing each and every time."

Taylor said that type of ability was why Waterman often ended up with the toughest jobs.

"Frank was repeatedly selected to very dangerous and difficult initiatives," Taylor said. "He was the go-to person."

DeMoura said Waterman was a stern boss who made it clear what your job was, all while stressing the importance of integrity.

DeMoura has no doubt that Waterman contributed to the success of his own career, as well as those of others.

"I think Frank -- without even knowing it -- made us professionals early in our careers, and that made us successful later," DeMoura said.

"Frank probably taught me everything I know about police work," said Taylor.

But while Waterman could be a stern boss, he also always had his officers' backs.

"Frank was a legend. His courage, his intelligence, his compassion and his willingness to help other police officers were legendary," Taylor said. "Frank was always there to help somebody that needed assistance."

Taylor said he hopes that compassion and helpfulness are what Waterman is most remembered for.

"He always took my call, always listened, and always took care of the issue," DeMoura said.

In his free time, Waterman enjoyed golfing, and visiting a camp in New Hampshire with his family, DeMoura said. He loved riding motorcycles, especially Harley Davidsons. Taylor said he blended that love of Harleys into his undercover personas too.

DeMoura chuckled as he recalled that Waterman would often unwind outside of work by going to bike week in Laconia, where he would relax and have fun even as he likely rubbed elbows with people he had investigated.

"That's one thing about Frank Waterman -- what you see is what you get," said Ryan. "He was the same person whether he was working or not."

Waterman leaves his wife Dorthy, to whom he was married 47 years, three sons and a daughter.

"His family, during all those years of very difficult, demanding work where he was away from the house for a long time, were strong people to stand by him and be there for him," Taylor said.

Jerry Flynn, a longtime Lowell officer who is executive director of the New England Police Benevolent Association, said Waterman helped get him interested in police work back when Flynn was a college student working at the former JJ's Pub on Central Street.

"He'd come in every night and talk to you," Flynn said. "He's the epitome of what community policing was all about, and just a wonderful guy."

Flynn said Waterman was someone virtually every Lowell officer wanted to emulate.

Flynn tells a story of the night Waterman showed up for work despite a mishap with a trailer hitch earlier in the day.

"It knocked out his two front teeth," Flynn said. "That night Frank was on his route working, and he came in and showed me."

Davis, who has not always seen eye to eye with Flynn, agreed.

"Some people get tired and stop moving forward, but Frank was not that kind of guy," Davis said. "He continued to work hard right up until his last day."

Davis said Waterman taught him to keep his focus on serving the city.

"What he taught me was a true ethos of service to the community," Davis said. "He just realized how important his job could be when it came to helping people, and he did it well, and he did it for a long time."

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