Watertown Moving Ahead, Looking Back A Year Later

WATERTOWN (CBS) ---- There were plenty of heroes in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

In Watertown, the heroes wore blue , and took the final action that would bring the manhunt for the suspects to an end, several days later.

WBZ's Ben Parker tells us how the police and residents are now moving ahead – and looking back

Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau knows his department stepped up 'big time,' when the fight came to them. "The way they stood up and defended that neighborhood, defended the community, actually defended the country. I couldn't be more proud of them," says Deveau.

Deveau says the actions his department took last April will now be used to train others to handle similar cases if they come up again.

"Sergeant John MacLellan, under fire with a bomb ready to be tossed at him, rolls his cruiser down the street to protect him, and barely got cover for himself and Officer Joe Reynolds. They didn't teach that at the Police Academy, but they will now," he says.

Deveau is quick to talk about Watertown's residents, of whom a lot was asked on April 19th, and a lot was received.

"The support we got all day long, it was a Watertown resident who went out in his backyard and finally put the manhunt to an end," says Deveau.

That boat owner, David Henneberry, lost his wife in January. He's just trying to keep life moving forward.

"Yes, we have been. I have been, and just, move on," says Henneberry.

WBZ producer Jay Gates lives in Watertown. Stories are still shared in town, even as neighborly bonds tighten.

"We've definitely become friends with more of the families on our street that we didn't necessarily talk to before that happened," says Gates."I think a lot of people feel the same way I do, just judging by that night, the cheers that random cruisers going down the street would get."

That love for the police is not lost on Chief Deveau.

"I never dreamed that I would see the residents of Watertown line the streets, waving American flags. If you ask me anymore questions, I'll start getting choked up about it right now. It was very emotional for me and for all of our officers, " recalls Deveau.

He says they still get recognized for what the department did and there is a lot of community pride, and Watertown is a better place, because of it.

Web Extra: Listen To Extended Interviews:

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON