Watertown Patch's Top 5 Police and Fire Stories of 2012

Watertown police officers and firefighters had a busy 2012, with their share of major crimes and multi-alarm blazes. Here are the top ones of the year.

1. Three teens robbed a boy walking through Linear Park - the path between the library and Waverley Avenue - in July. Police arrested the trio and charged them for the unarmed robbery.

2. A home on Madison Avenue went up in flames, destroying a two-family home in September. Watertown firefighters fought the two-alarm blaze, which started when a plumber was working on the home.

3. Police tracked down a couple from Waltham who teamed up to rob the Citizens Bank branch in Stop & Shop on Pleasant Street in December when a witness saw the man jump into the trunk of the car driven by the woman. The car was parked right in front of the store. 

4. Flames destroyed a basement of a two-family home on Orchard Street in November, leaving two families and their pets homeless, at least temporarily. The two-alarm fire was caused by a faulty furnace.

5. On a tip from Newton Police, Watertown officers made a prostitution bust at Repton Place in January. The woman arrested was advertising as an escort on Backpage.com.