The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to January 27. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Suspicious Activity
Monday, January 19 at 4:25 a.m., reports of a white pickup truck on the south side of a Hartwell Ave. building came in. Security reported that no one should be there at that time. An individual was shoveling snow, and all was in order.
Wednesday, January 21 at 7:10 a.m., reports came in regarding a smashed-up vehicle on the side of Marrett Rd. and Mass Ave. Mal’s was called for a tow. The responding officer followed Mal’s back to the lot for an inventory. The Dorchester owner was contacted.
Animal Control and Complaints
Tuesday, January 20 at 1:15 p.m., a Taft Ave. resident reported his golden doodle “got away from him.” A DPW worker saw the dog near Sutherland Rd, and the responding officer retrieved the dog and walked it home.
Thursday, January 22 at 11:15 a.m., the Animal Control Officer reported checking on and feeding cats at a Main Campus Drive location.
Friday, January 23 at 11:40 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident reported a deer with a broken leg that “most likely needed to be put down.” The responding officer reported the deer had run into the woods and he was unable to locate it.
Larceny and Burglary
Monday, January 26 at 7:15 a.m., a Waltham St. resident reported a snow blower had been stolen from the barn on his property. He reported he had footage of it occurring at 12:45 a.m. The approximate value was $1,000. The responding officer reported that the camera footage showed 2 unidentified individuals entering the garage and leaving with the snow blower.
Monday, January 26 at 11:10 a.m., a Captain Parker Arms resident reported a past burglary from their storage room unit of the apartment complex. She reported that several vases and a painting had been stolen. The residents noticed the locked latch had been removed and the screws were missing on December 26 at approximately 7:30 a.m. The last time the unit was checked was on 12/20 at noon. An officer and a detective were unable to process the scene as the residents had been active in the unit and touching their property.
Fraud
Tuesday, January 20 at 4:30 p.m., a Concord Ave. resident reported someone called him from what he thought was Citizens Bank. The individual told him that someone had hacked his bank account, and he needed to change his account information. The person sent him a link to change information through a text message. There was a monetary loss of $14,300. He contacted the bank to freeze his accounts.
Wednesday, January 21 at 2:00 p.m., an Albemarle Ave resident reported someone had gotten her Social Security number and attempted to claim her retirement payments through Alight Solutions. Alight was contacted and stopped payments. There was no monetary loss, and she was advised to monitor her credit reports.
Excerpted from: AARP: 15 Ways to Protect Yourself From Fraud
Learn how to avoid scams and lower your risk of money loss and identity theft. By Amy Nofziger and Mark Fetterhoff Updated March 27, 2025
1. Stop mail fraud at the mailbox
2. Halt scammers at your front door
3. Prevent garbage theft
4. Watch for credit card skimming
5. Monitor your credit reports
6. Safeguard your wallet
7. Protect your financial accounts 8. Safeguard your smartphone
9. Secure your computer
10. Protect your email accounts
11. Set limits on social media
Set your profile so that only your friends can see your Facebook page. To do that, click the downward arrow button in the upper-right corner of your Facebook page, then click on Settings & Privacy and Privacy Checkup. This easy-to-use wizard will guide you through the settings. And never accept friend requests from people you don’t know or respond to random messages from strangers. But also note that impostor scams, where someone pretends to be your friend, are rampant on social media.
12. Verify online stores
To avoid shopping scams, when typing in a URL, double- and triple-check the spelling to ensure you are on the correct page. Scammers often create a URL with one letter off from the authentic one in hopes you won’t catch it.
Remove your credit card number and information from restaurant delivery and retail store sites. Pay using an e-payment service that keeps credit card info on a highly secure site.
*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.