Billerica Police | MA

Therapy Dog to respond with Co-Response Clinician alongside police

Billerica MA – The Front Line Initiative today announced it has secured funding through the Greater Lowell Health Alliance to launch a unique Animal Assisted Co-Response (AACoR) Program. The AACoR program will pair a mental health Co-Response clinician with a trained crisis response dog that can be called out by five area police departments including: Tewksbury, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut and Tyngsborough. The AACoR Program will be utilized to focus on behavioral health crises with a focus on those struggling with traumatic events, depression, and impacts of suicide. While the use of comfort dogs and therapy dogs are not new what makes this program unique is the embedded nature of a police co-response clinician with a crisis response animal.

The future therapy dog will be an Australian Labradoodle and will join the team in late November early December. They will begin their time in service in training thanks to the generous support of Auntie Dog in Tewksbury, MA.

“We are extremely excited to bring this additional therapeutic service to the communities we serve. The addition of the AACoR program will assist in bridging the gap of access to emergency services for those living through traumatic events. We believe in bringing innovative programming to the Greater Lowell area and we are pleased to be pioneering the way with the help of the Greater Lowell Health Alliance,” said Front Line Executive Director Matthew Page-Shelton.

The funding will be used to cover the costs associated with the launch of the Animal Assisted Co-Response Program and the implementation of the services to be provided by this team. Front Line is excited to partner with Highland Beach Labradoodle from Central Rhode Island for the future therapy dog.

“It is such a unique opportunity to be a part of a team where the innovative use of a crisis response dog can be possible in this context. I look forward to working with our therapy dog and conducting training to prepare for supporting our communities. This is a great opportunity to build partnerships with those in our communities who are in crisis. I look forward to bringing this service to those we serve in both an emergency basis as well as through outreach therapeutic support,” says Co-Response Clinician/ AACoR handler C.Knowles of Front Line Initiative.

Follow the Front Line Initiative on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on the AACoR program and more.

Billerica – On Monday, October 4, 2021 at approximately 3:55 AM Billerica PD received a call from a commercial alarm company reporting an alarm activation at Speedway Gas Station, located at 192 Boston Road, North Billerica with an unknown male suspect reportedly stealing items from the closed store. Officers immediately responded to the alarm, arriving within 3 minutes. On arrival to the area officers observed the front glass door to the gas station smashed out, allowing full access to the Speedway store.

Responding officers immediately identified a suspect motor vehicle fleeing from the scene at a high rate of speed headed northbound on Boston Road towards Lowell. Upon activating their emergency lights in an attempt to stop the fleeing motor vehicle, officers traveled northbound on Boston Road where they observed multiple damaged residential trash receptacles and garbage in the roadway along the path the suspect vehicle had fled. Immediately north of The Point at 3North, an apartment complex located at 71 Boston Road, Officers came upon the suspect vehicle, which had apparently crashed into a telephone pole on the southbound side of the roadway. Officers observed multiple electrical transmission wires that were suspended by the telephone pole now coming down just over the crashed vehicle. The suspect vehicle was heavily damaged from the crash and was occupied by two suspects who were trapped inside the vehicle. The roadway was immediately shut down and the scene secured while Billerica Fire emergency crews and EMS personnel were dispatched to assist with the extrication of the occupants. National Grid was also summoned to the scene to assist with the downed power lines. After about 40 minutes on scene, crews were able to extricate a male operator and female passenger from the vehicle, both of whom suffered unknown injuries. Both individuals were subsequently transported to Lahey Clinic for emergency medical treatment. At this time the incident is under investigation by the Billerica Police, along with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS). No further information is available at this time.

Any additional questions should be directed to Deputy Chief Roy Frost, 978-215-9653 or via email at
rfrost @ billericapolice.org

The Billerica Police Department will be celebrating National Night Out
August 3, 2021 from 5 PM -10PM
BILLERICA TOWN HALL
365 Boston Road

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnership and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighbors safer, better places to live.  It provides an opportunity for our Men and Women in blue to build relationships with our citizens.  We will be partnering with the Billerica Recreation Department who will be sponsoring a movie night at the Billerica High School’s outside movie screen from 8 pm-10pm.

Chris Herrick is Massachusetts’ highest rated strolling magician! He specializes in dynamic and interactive close-up magic entertainment for community events.  Chris has entertained many people through magic and illusions.  His illusions are guaranteed to give our guests the best magic experience they’ve ever had!

We are proud to announce the following agencies that will be participating:

Billerica Police, Paramedic, Fire, Animal Control, and Public works departments will have various vehicles on display.

Billerica K-9 team will be conducting demonstrations in conjunction with other Law Enforcement Agencies

Middlesex County House of Correction will display the Bear Cat armored vehicle

Billerica recreation department will have various games to play