UPDATE – Found Safe
The Billerica Police Department would like to say thank you to all the residents that assisted in the search and called with helpful information!
Name: John Anderson
Missing From: Billerica Massachusetts
Last Seen: May 12, 2022 @ 8:30 PM
Age: 50
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 140
Hair: Brown (longer than pictured) and a full beard
Clothing: Gray shirt, black pants, green hat
The Billerica Police Department just conducted a Community-Wide Survey on Local Policing in order to gauge various metrics related to community sentiment as to how well we are doing ranging from engagement and partnership to perceptions of safety and security. We also sought to gauge the level of community trust in its police while also determining where residents would like to see more police resources allocated in the future.
The survey was sent out to residents primarily through Nextdoor and Twitter, where we requested only town residents and businesses to participate. Currently there are 8,104 verified households in Billerica using Nextdoor, which is an internet-based information sharing tool used to bring neighbors and neighborhoods together for positive exchanges. Over the 14-day period the survey was active, we received 342 completed responses, which is a response rate of just over 4%.
A review of the responses indicate that our police department is doing very well in the area of community trust and engagement, with over 85% of respondents reporting that the department does develop relationships with community members, while also showing strong efforts towards communication and problem solving. In terms of Community Policing, defined in the survey whereby the police work with the community to address the root causes of crime through a wide range of
activities, approximately 80% of the survey respondents felt the police utilized community policing
principals either “somewhat” or “to a great extent”.
When looking towards programs that are offered through the Billerica Police Department, respondents gauged their relative importance in the following averages, where 10 was “very important” to 1 being “not important at all”. The highest responses on these programs were as follows:
| Behavioral Health Assistance mental health collaborative | 8.7 |
| Elder Affairs (working with Council on Aging on neglect/abuse) | 8.6 |
| Domestic Violence Advocates | 8.5 |
| School Resource Officer, specially trained to work in public school | 8.37 |
| Juvenile Diversion Programs for first time offenders | 8.34 |
| Body Worn Cameras and in-car video recording | 7.78 |
| Police Athletic/Activities League (PAL) | 7.58 |
| Police Bicycle Patrol | 7.24 |
| Citizen Police Academy (familiarization training) | 6.29 |
One area of interest from the survey was a desire by residents to engage in a neighborhood citizen crime watch group. Over 61% of respondents expressed a desire to participate in a “crime watch group”. A great way for residents to organize a Neighborhood Crime Watch group is through Nextdoor. Currently Nextdoor in Billerica has 40 distinct geographically contiguous neighborhoods consisting of 11,711 verified resident members. Resident representatives from each of the 40 verified neighborhoods are able to create a group for that neighborhood for the purpose of sharing crime and safety information. Relevant information from the groups could later be shared at the groups’ discretion with the Billerica Police, who would then assign officers who covers that groups’ geographic sector across three separate patrol shifts over a 24-hour period. Working directly with the residents in that group will allow officers and residents to work together to identify solutions to the issues at hand and, later, evaluate their effectiveness.
We will be conducting similar surveys in the future in an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs and the wants and needs of the community. Please use out department website to see the various services we offer the community as well as to provide direct input on how we can better improve our services.
Thank you again for all those who participated in the Community-Wide Survey on Local Policing.
Respectfully,
Chief Roy W Frost
Complete survey results are available here – Survey Results
Please join us for “Coffee with a Cop”, a national initiative focused on improving police/community relations through common ground. Spend a few minutes with your local patrol officers and enjoy a hot cup of coffee on us at Cumberland Farms on April 29th, 2022 from 7am to 9am.
Sunset this past Monday evening was marked by an invitation from the Dawoodi Bohra Community and other members of the Billerica Interfaith Association where Town Manager John Curran and Police Chief Roy Frost participated in enjoying an evening meal at sunset, known as an “iftar” marking a break in the day’s fast during Ramadan. The Dawoodi Bohra mosque in Billerica was officially inaugurated in 2004 and has been a wonderful addition to our community since that time. As a longstanding member of the Billerica Interfaith Association, our friends from the mosque have faithfully served this community, whether through its work at the Community Food Pantry, providing support during the annual Clean Up Green Up events, or the multitude of other community focused events, we can always count on our Dawoodi Bohra neighbors to provide a helping hand. Joining us at last nights event was our partners from the United States Attorney Office for the District of Massachusetts, including US Attorney Rachael Rollins and her staff, along with our Law Enforcement partners at the FBI.
Photo Credit – Trea Lavery from the Lowell Sun
Photo Credit – Trea Lavery from the Lowell Sun
Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 10 AM to 2 PM the Billerica Police Department and Billerica Substance Abuse Prevention Committee will participate in Take Back Day for Prescription Medications. The location is DPW at 250 Boston Road. Please dispose of unwanted or unneeded medications properly, flushing or throwing in the trash is not proper or safe disposal. If you cannot make Saturday, BPD provides a safe disposal bin in the PD lobby. More details from DEA at the link.
