The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to April 14. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Community Engagement
Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m., Detective Chaisson met with a group of Girl Scouts and their parents for a tour of the police station. They talked about community caretaking and the job of being a police officer.
Thursday, April 10, Detective Sullivan and his partner, Comfort K-9 Maisey, visited Clarke and Diamond Middle Schools. They visited classrooms, greeted students in the hallways, spoke with faculty and staff in the front office, and visited a guidance office.
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk – Schools
During this past week, officers made four visits to elementary schools, two visits to middle schools, and two visits to the high school. During a visit to Lexington’s Children’s Place, an officer reported he walked around the school with the principal, spoke to a class, and familiarized himself with the layout of the building.
Suspicious Activity
Thursday, April 10, at 8:55 a.m., a Brookside Avenue resident reported being followed after an incident at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Worthen Road. He stated he was followed to the Stop and Shop parking lot where the other driver, a Waltham resident, got out of his vehicle and yelled at him before driving away. The responding officer located the Waltham resident, advised him the incident would be documented with the Lexington Police Department (LPD) and told him to refrain from following or engaging with other motorists in the future, and to contact the PD instead.
Sunday, April 13, at 1:45 p.m., Burlington PD requested a wellness check on Adams Street due to an incident in the parking lot of the Dunkin’ Donuts on Middlesex Turnpike. Burlington PD stated the reporting party witnessed a male trying to pull a female, who appeared to be a young teenager, out of his vehicle. After an alleged argument between them, they both returned to the vehicle. When LPD located and spoke with the individuals, they stated they had a verbal argument. Both agreed to separate for the day, and both declined further assistance. LPD notified Burlington PD of the outcome.
Noise Complaint
Friday, April 11, at 9:05 p.m., a Locust Avenue resident reported excessive noise at a neighbor’s house. They stated there were people in the hot tub at the neighbor’s house who were being extremely loud. There is an ongoing history of noise complaints for similar incidents. Responding officers spoke with the residents, and they stated they were shutting it down for the night.
Town Bylaws – Leaf Blowers
During this week, 23 reports regarding gas leaf blower bylaw infractions were made. Residents can be fined for these infractions. Please note that homeowners are responsible for all that occurs on their property.
Animal Control and Complaints
Tuesday, April 8, during the morning, Lexington’s Animal Control Officer (ACO) conducted Park Lock and Walks (PLW) at the Ringe Avenue playground, Whipple Hill and Summer Street, and Lincoln Fields. At each PLW, all was in order.
Tuesday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m., a Blake Road resident reported a dog continuously walking onto his property. He had his land surveyed to make sure it was his property, and he’s spoken with the Linmor Terrace owners of the dog. They have ignored his request to respect his property. Because these neighbors have a new dog that’s more aggressive than their previous dog, this individual is concerned about the safety of his two small children.
Friday, April 11, at 8:35 a.m., a Buckman Drive resident reported finding a loose dog. The ACO responded and took a black French bulldog with a multi-color collar to the shelter on Westview Street. At 6 p.m., the ACO returned to the kennel to feed the dog, as well as take it outside. On April 12 and 13, the ACO stopped by the shelter to care for the dog that had been left unclaimed.
Sunday, April 13, at 9:45 a.m., the Pleasant Street owner of the French Bulldog finally came forward to claim her dog from the shelter on Westview St. The unstaffed, unheated building is safe and adequate for emergencies. It is not designed for a weekend away from home.
Breaking and Entering
Wednesday, April 9, at 5:05 p.m., a Blossom Street resident reported her vehicle had been broken into sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. A laptop and bag were stolen, and someone rummaged through the center console. The rear passenger door was still open Saturday morning, so a detective was notified to investigate as no one had touched the vehicle handle since the break in.
Fraud
Thursday, April 10, at 6:50 p.m., a Potter Pond resident reported providing information to a man claiming she had to update her TV with new software, or it would be disconnected. He asked for her Social Security number and credit card information that she provided before realizing it was a scam. The responding officer assisted her in contacting her credit card company to cancel the card, as well as the credit bureau to put an alert on her credit. There is no monetary loss at this time.
Friday, April 11, at 11 a.m., a Wood Street resident reported a call on Thursday from a man “with the FCC” who claimed her information was tied to a phone used to make scam calls out of China. This person transferred her to another who explained she had to speak with the police in China to clarify the situation. She was told to download Signal Chat and sign a document allowing her to attend a Zoom meeting. When she went on Zoom, she had to provide the men (dressed as police officers) with an ID, so she held up an expired passport. The entire two hour Zoom call was recorded. LPD advised her to delete her account on the Signal app, then delete the app. She was also advised not to answer any calls from unknown numbers and to block all numbers she used on her phone and Zoom meeting to speak with these callers. She did not provide her social security or bank account information, and she has no suspicious activity or monetary loss. She will contact LPD if anything additional occurs.
Excerpted from AARP January 2025: “25 Great Ways to Avoid Scams”
- Accept your vulnerability
- Practice radical skepticism
- Pause and Think
- Be suspicious of secrecy
- Set up bank alerts
- Be informed
- Don’t pay for anything in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or gold
- Find a sounding board
- Sign up for identity monitoring
- Avoid unsolicited calls, texts, and emails
- Freeze your Credit
- Maximize online privacy settings
- Think twice before clicking links in emails and text messages
- Go straight to the source
- Update your software
- Only hire trusted contractors
- Be cautious when purchasing property
18. Use a VPN
If you’re on a non-private network (a public Wi-Fi connection), it’s safest to connect to the internet using what’s called a “virtual private network,” or VPN. “A VPN essentially builds a trusted tunnel where all the information you’re sending is encrypted, or protected, so that nobody who’s snooping around can view it,” says Abhishek Karnik, head of threat research at online security company McAfee. Most cellular and internet service providers offer VPNs as paid add-ons or included in a premium plan. You can also purchase a VPN service directly from a VPN service provider.
19. Disconnect from public Wi-Fi
Especially if you lack a VPN, steer clear of free and public wireless networks, Bruemmer advises. “Anybody can put up a fake Wi-Fi site,” he says, adding that scammers often use small devices called “pineapples” to intercept private information that flows between private devices and public networks. “I can be within 30 or 40 yards of wherever you are with a pineapple device that says ‘Starbucks Free Wi-Fi’ … and you won’t know if it’s legit or not.” If you need internet on the go, use your cellular service instead.
The Lexington Police Department updates its call log on Monday mornings. Lexington Observer coverage is a sampling of incidents and is not an exhaustive list. Logs are available for public viewing.