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Boston Police Capt. Christine M. Michalosky spent hours last weekend rooting through the shelves and racks at TJ Maxx for the perfect Christmas presents - not for herself or her family, but for the needy children at Bromley-Heath, a public housing project in the district she commands. All told, she filled six shopping carts with toys and clothes for kids.

Days later, on Friday, the Metro SWAT team would converge on her Braintree home after a report that she had barricaded herself inside. Her quiet street became a cordoned-off spectacle. Neighbors were barred from re-entering their homes. Those already inside were ordered to stay clear of the windows.

Though it ended peacefully, the hour-long maelstrom of blue lights and camouflaged cops constituted a heart-breaking turn of events for a proud, private woman who has spent her life as a renowned police officer and good Samaritan. Michalosky, 61, was one of the first women to don a Boston police uniform back in the ’70s. She is a fixture at community meetings in Jamaica Plain, with a rare ability to command equal respect among the rank-and-file and top brass.

But she didn’t ascend the ranks by showcasing her troubles - including a breast cancer diagnosis and heart ailment within the past six months.

In an age when the bottled stress of cops too often turns tragic, BPD was concerned about her being potentially depressed - and they wanted to be sure Michalosky’s recent selfless spending wasn’t a sign of imbalance. After the Boston Police Family Assistance Unit knocked on her door Friday at around 4 p.m. - and Michalosky didn’t answer - a tactical operation was launched to locate her.

Kerry Michalosky was driving home on Friday night when she spotted a dozen police cruisers and the SWAT team converging on her mother’s house.

Michalosky’s family doesn’t believe she was suicidal, and is convinced a miscommunication is to blame for what quickly spiraled out of proportion into the headline “Armed Standoff.”

After all, this was a woman who had Mrs. Claus-like plans to rent a truck, fill it up with gifts and deliver them to the families at Bromley.

“Her house was like a warehouse of toys,” said Kerry Michalosky, 32. “She just went through a lot, but she wanted to give back to everyone who’s been so supportive of her.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/region ... id=1137492