Lt. Paul Cain: he loved policing our city

A tribute by Lt. Tom Williams, Jr.

As many in our community know, Lt. Paul Cain was in his 42nd year of impeccable service in the Norwood Police Department when he passed away suddenly last Friday. Since joining the force in 1968, he touched countless lives both in and out of the department, earning everyone’s respect and admiration along the way. Among the things that may not be so well known is that he and my father, Mayor Tom Williams, who was previously a Norwood police officer, were the NPD’s very first canine officers starting in 1971. Paul’s canine partner was Trooper.

Paul rose quickly through the ranks and was given an array of important assignments over his long career. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1979, and not long after, he was named Lieutenant. In 1984, he was named training supervisor at the Norwood Police Academy. In 1989, he became Patrol Supervisor in charge of a shift for 20 years. Then in 2009, he became the Communications Supervisor of 911 Dispatch.

I’d like to share a couple of favorite Paul stories. He was a longtime gun enthusiast with a vast knowledge of weaponry and firearms that we often relied upon during the course of our work. When the department switched to semi-automatic firearms, Paul stayed with his revolver, explaining to us, “My revolver never jammed!”

Another favorite has to do with his longevity at the NPD. He was eligible to retire 17 years ago after 25 years of service. But not Paul. He loved his job of policing the city too much to leave. So the running joke was, “He’ll have to be to carried out of here.”

Everyone at the Norwood Police Department sends their heartfelt sympathies to Paul’s family and many friends. We want them to know that we will all greatly miss him.

Lt. Tom Williams, Jr.
Norwood Police Department