Author Archives:

Online Incident Reporting Now Available

Billerica Police | MA Posted on by

As part of our evolving response to the COVID-19 crisis we, at the Billerica Police Department, have been planning diligently to provide services to our community residents. Part of this planning includes keeping our workforce safe and healthy. We have made many wholesale changes to our operating procedures. Respecting social distancing while still providing personalized policing and protection to the community is our goal. To this end, we are offering the below described online reporting system as one of those changes. We hope that residents will find the system useful and will assist us all in respecting the unprecedented measures taken to protect the public health.

Please rest assured that public safety agencies here in Billerica will continue to respond to all resident emergencies as quickly, diligently and thoughtfully as we have in the past and we appreciate your cooperation and support during this crisis. – Chief Dan Rosa

The Billerica Police Department has long considered online reporting for citizens to report minor incidents without having to visit the Police Station or request an Officer to their residence or place of business. In the last few days we built a reporting form into our website which is now available for use. We pride ourselves in personal service but we also recognize that there is a need for additional reporting methods, especially during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related state of emergency. The Police Department continues to answer calls and respond like we always do. We are now adding another option for residents to report incidents.

Online reporting can be convenient for residents but the public should not report emergencies through the Online Incident Reporting System. If a crime is in progress or if someone is hurt, threatened, or in danger, the public should call 911 immediately. The following types of incidents may be reported online:

  • Animal Incidents (Non-emergency)
  • Hit & Run Property Damage (No personal injury)
  • Identity Theft
  • Lost Property
  • Suspicious Activity
  • Theft (Less that $1200 value)
  • Vandalism (Less than $1200 in damage)

To file an incident report online, visit https://police.billericaps.com/index.php/online-incident-report/ and follow the instructions given. Links are also available from the “Contact Us” menu and from the “Quick Links” section on the right side of our website.

While we are excited to offer this reporting opportunity we also recognize that residents failing to follow instructions can affect it’s long term availability. We will be closely monitoring the online reporting to see what works and what doesn’t and make changes accordingly.

 

Identifying Census Workers

Billerica Police | MA Posted on by

How can residents identify Census Bureau workers?

The census taker or field representative will present an ID badge that includes:

  • their name,
  • their photograph,
  • a Department of Commerce watermark, and
  • an expiration date.

They will have an official bag and Census Bureau-issued electronic device, such as a laptop or smartphone, bearing the Census Bureau logo.Census takers and field representatives will conduct their work between the hours of 9am and 9pm, local time.

We are encouraging all residents, when in doubt, please call the New York Regional Office for verification at 1-800-991-2520. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

Please see attached image for examples of census credentials.

Census Workers WILL NEVER ASK for the following information:

  • to enter a home,
  • Social Security numbers or immigration status,
  • Income, bank account numbers, or any financial information,
  • PINs or passwords,
  • a donation or money.

Census

Statement from The Town & The Billerica Interfaith Association

Billerica Police | MA Posted on by

Billerica Interfaith Association and the Town of Billerica, together, would like to condemn a recent act of cowardice and ignorance. Swastika graffiti was found on a storage container in the parking lot that serves the Korean War Memorial, Little League Field, and Kids Connection Playground on Andover Road in Billerica. Breaking down communication barriers and building public and private partnerships is a part of community building. It is incidents like this that make our work much harder, we strive to improve services and encourage inclusiveness for our residents. Covering over the graffiti will be an easy task, erasing the pain and hurt caused by the use of that symbol is much harder. For our Jewish Community this symbol is an act of violence and a threat to their sense of security and well-being in our town. It is a direct attack on our Jewish neighbors and an affront to our community values.

At a time when civil discourse is in decline and violence against faith communities is on the rise, we are seeing acts that attack the values we hold central to our shared humanity. The philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke offered that,

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.”

The Interfaith Association and the Town seek to work within the community to educate against religious, ethnic, and racial hatred. We begin by supporting our Jewish neighbors, and working together to dismantle systems from which these hateful acts emerge.

Billerica Interfaith Association and the Town of Billerica

Billerica Police Awarded State Grant to Increase Impaired Driving Patrols

Billerica Police | MA Posted on by

Joins Statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Enforcement Effort

Billerica, MA – 8/19/19 – The Billerica Police Department will increase the number of impaired driving patrols on local roads with grant funds from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Office of Grants and Research (OGR). Billerica will join 140 other local police departments across the state in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement mobilization and public information campaign.
“Impaired drivers threaten the safety and lives of everyone around them,” said Chief Dan Rosa. “This grant will allow us to increase the number of patrols dedicated to identifying, stopping and removing drivers who are impaired by any substance.”
“The most important responsibility of anyone behind the wheel is to drive safely,” said Jeff Larason, Director of the OGR Highway Safety Division. “As summer vacation turns into back-to-school season, it’s important that motorists take seriously their responsibility to stay sober and alert.”

Massachusetts Data (2013-2017):
• Marijuana was the most prevalent drug found in drivers involved in fatal crashes.
• 11 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes were found with both alcohol and drugs in their system.
• 78 percent of impaired drivers in fatal crashes were men.
• 35 percent of drunk drivers involved in a fatal crash were 21-29 years old.
• The number of drivers involved in a fatal crash who were alcohol-impaired (BAC .08+) and had drugs in their system increased by 63 percent (35 to 57).
• From 2016 to 2017, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities decreased by 19 percent (148 to 120).

National Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
• Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers. On average, more than 10,000 people have died each year (2013 to 2017) in drunk-driving crashes. To put it in perspective, that’s equal to about 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors.
• In 2017, one person was killed every 48 minutes by a drunk driver on our nation’s roads.
• In 2017, almost one in five children (14 and younger) killed in traffic crashes were killed in drunk-driving crashes. Fifty-four percent of the time, it was the child’s driver who was drunk.
• Drugs were present in 43 percent of the fatally-injured drivers with a known test result in 2015, more frequently than alcohol was present.
• NHTSA’s 2013–2014 roadside survey found drugs in 22 percent of all drivers both on weekend nights and on weekdays.
• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects—slows reaction times, impairs cognitive performance, and makes it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.
• Mixing alcohol and marijuana may dramatically produce effects greater than either drug on its own.

To view the Highway Safety Division’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” TV spots, or for more information about the HSD’s educational campaigns, go to http://www.mass.gov/DriveSober