SALEM, MA — Salem Police Chief Mary Butler said Friday that in his 31 years with the department, Dana Mazola’s philosophy on police work didn’t change from the time he filled out an application to join the force.
“My main reason for wanting to become a police officer is that I have an ability to deal well with all types of people – and that is an important aspect of police work,” Mazola wrote on his application to the department in 1989. “I enjoy helping people solve their problems and helping them through stressful or traumatic situations.”
“Officer Mazola wrote those words over thirty years ago, and he lived by them every day of his career,” Butler said in a statement. “He treated all people with dignity and respect and was an outstanding representative of the Department, and the law enforcement profession.”
Mazola, 56, died Thursday night after a head-on car crash near 321 Jefferson Avenue in Salem. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll called the Swampscott native’s death “an unimaginable and heartbreaking loss.”
Mazola and the other driver were taken to Salem Hospital, where Mazola was pronounced dead. Essex County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Carrie Kimball said the other driver survived the crash but his condition was unavailable.
“Dana was a conscientious and professional officer, a loving husband and father, and a devoted public servant to the people of Salem. He was, as we say, the ‘salt of the earth’ – a conscientious rank and file patrol officer who worked hard every single shift,” Driscoll said. “Our families often attended the same church services and I fondly recall his two girls helping keep my energetic (at the time) toddler occupied while seated in the pew next to ours. Dana had a big heart and was a warm and caring family man.”Subscribe
Mazola grew up in Swampscott and graduated from Swampscott High School. His family owned Mazola’s Corner Store for several years. He started his law enforcement career in 1988 as a correctional officer at the Salem Jail and as an auxiliary police officer in Swampscott. In 1989, he became a reserve police officer in Salem and was named a full-time police officer in 1990
Mazola spent his 29 years as a full-time officer in the patrol division, most recently serving in the traffic division. He developed a reputation as a skilled background investigator and helped the department screen candidates. Mazola was also known for acting as a father figure to new police officers.
“No one could ask for a more loyal, dedicated and committed officer to serve the community and the Department the way Officer Mazola did every single day of his 31 years on the job. He was a man of integrity who had a heart as wide as the whole outdoors,” Butler said. “There is not a single officer or employee who knew him, past or present, who is not impacted by the tragic and sudden loss of Dana Mazola.”
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date. Mazola is survived by his wife, Florence, and twin daughters Amanda and Savannah, “whom he adored,” Butler said.
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