Davis, Watertown Chief, Officer Testify At Boston Marathon Bombings Hearing
BOSTON (CBS) - Just days before the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, several people involved in the investigation that followed testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill.
The House Homeland Security Committee held the hearing entitled, "The Boston Marathon Bombings, One Year On: A Look Back to Look Forward" Wednesday morning.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Joe Mathieu reports
Only three public officials appeared before the panel - former Boston Police Commissioner and current WBZ-TV security analyst Ed Davis, Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau and Watertown Police Sgt. Jeff Pugliese.
Pugliese was directly involved in the shootout with both bombing suspects. He tackled Tamerlan Tsarnaev seconds before Tsarnaev was killed.
Chairman McCaul thanks #Watertown Sgt. Pugliese for "taking down the worst terrorist since 9/11"
— Lauren Leamanczyk (@LaurenKARE11) April 9, 2014
"For 8 and a half minutes we were the best damn police department in the world," Deveau told the committee about his department's efforts in the shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers. "The usually quiet overnight shift turned into a war zone."
The panel also discussed problems centered around the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies and nations.
A recent report from the Homeland Security Committee said authorities missed opportunities that may have altered the course of events. Davis said he supports the recommendations outlined in the report.
"A lot has changed in one year," Davis said. "What all of us learned that week and over the next 12 months is just how big our community is beyond the partnerships in the levels of government."
Davis addressed the decision not to release the surveillance photos of the Tsarnaev brothers, as soon as authorities identified them.
"It was our desire to be out front of this as much as possible but at that juncture, there was a decision made above me that there would not be a press conference," he said.
Deveau said the tragedies of that week, brought people together.
"Watertown is stronger, Boston is stronger and in my opinion, the entire country is united and stronger," he said.
The hearing was originally scheduled to take place in Boston, but Mayor Marty Walsh raised concerns that it could politicize the bombings.
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