LPD: With Warmer Weather Come More Car-Breaks

For Lexington residents, police say locking cars is the best way to keep them safe as warmer weather could bring an uptick in crimes of opportunity.

Following another handful of reports of car breaks and suspicious persons, the Lexington Police Department is again advising residents to lock their vehicles and be careful what they’re leaving in there. At about 2:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 20, a Massachusetts Avenue resident reported looking out the window and noticing two people across the street, apparently breaking into a neighbor’s vehicle. Due to the timely report, coupled with a quick police response, officers called in a K9 unit and attempted to track the suspects. The dog wasn’t able to pick up a good scent and it doesn’t appear as though anything was stolen from the unlocked vehicle, but Police Capt. Manny Ferro says the incident is yet another example of why residents should take …

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Police Log: Unlocked Vehicles Looted and a Snowman Assaulted

The following information from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22 was provided by the Lexington Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Friday, Jan. 20 1:45 a.m. – Police responded to a Cottage Street residence to assist an elderly female. 10:27 a.m. – Trash dumping was reported on Ridge Road. 10:41 a.m.  – Officers investigated a motor vehicle accident in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Worthen Road. 12:25 p.m. – A Lexington High School student reported her iPod, headphones and phone were taken from the girls locker room on Jan. 17. 4:35 p.m. – Police checked out a report of suspicious persons on Westwood Road. 5:47 p.m. – As a result of a motor vehicle stop on Mass Ave., Tracy Ann Rao, 39, of 47 Everett St., Woburn, was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle after her license was suspended, operating a motor vehicle without lights and failing to have …

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Lock 'Em Up: Thieves Targeting Unlocked Garages in Lexington

The Lexington Police Department is investigating a pair of reported car-breaks that occurred inside unlocked residential garages last week in Lexington.

Police in Lexington are reminding residents to lock the doors -- to their homes, their cars and their garages -- after a handful of cars were broken into and burglarized last week, despite being parked in garages. The morning of Tuesday, Dec. 13, Lexington Police responded to a pair of calls reporting a handful of unlocked cars, parked in unlocked garages, were broken into overnight. According to a police report, three vehicles were burglarized at a Hill Street residence after someone allegedly entered a garage through an unlocked side door. Missing from one of the vehicles was $125 cash, a gold wedding band and a watch, while another was missing a purse filled with credit cards, police said. This call came in at 8:10 a.m. and the resident…

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Off the Blotter

Off the Blotter: Thefts from Lockers and Cars

Tips for protecting your valuables while you're at work, working out or out to eat.

Off the Blotter is an opportunity for the Lexington Police Department to share what is happening here in Lexington and in your neighborhood. This column was provided by Police Chief Mark Corr.  When you enter a restaurant, lobby or locker room you will often see a sign that says, ‘We are NOT responsible for the loss or damage to your personal property.”  It is a polite way of saying, “Protect yourself.” Parking lots, restaurants, sports clubs and other commercial properties have been the target of professional thieves for years. The Lexington Police and regional police agencies have routinely identified individuals who specialize in this type of crime. One important lesson we have learned – the thefts are so lucrative that the same thieves…

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About Town

Updated About Town: A Town Manager's Report Without the Meeting

On budgets, fuel costs, safety and more.

With a severe weather outlook and more (more?) rain, you may want to stay inside tonight. The Revolutionary Revelry calendar is promoting Stump Trivia at the bar at the Aloft hotel on Marrett Road, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. There is also a celebration of the Liberty Ride at the Battle Green from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., but please, check the weather forecast first. Posted at 5:45 a.m. this morning ... It’s Tuesday and Town Manager Carl Valente always offers a report during the Monday night Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Well, there wasn’t one last night, but Carl came through anyway. Here are a few bits of information from our leader’s desk. Suspicious Minds … The Lexington Police Department and Patch Editor Patrick Ball have been reminding us to lock …

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Off the Blotter

Off the Blotter: Lock Your Car Doors, Please

“Off the Blotter” is an opportunity for the Lexington Police Department to share what is happening here in Lexington and in your neighborhood.

By Chief Mark J. Corr, Lexington Police Department On Dec. 23 2010, more than 40 cars were entered and valuable property was stolen. For some, the Grinch had stolen Christmas.  Since Jan. 1, 2011, we have had 77 additional reports of car breaks with close to 100 cars entered. Small change, GPS units, laptops, briefcases, purses, tool kits, CDs, portable players, or anything else with value was taken. With the exception of one or two cars, all of the vehicles were unlocked. This is not a new occurrence. In 2003, we interviewed a group of young men who were being prosecuted for stealing from cars. They called it, “going shopping.” They would enlist the aid of one or two friends, pick a neighborhood, and then enter as many cars as possible “…

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Public Safety Updates

From the reporter's notebook.

Emergency responders were called to 220 Massachusetts Ave. yesterday morning after a man reportedly fell more than 15 feet after being electorcuted. According to Lexington Fire Chief William Middlemiss, a man, believed to be an electrician, was 15- to 18-feet off the ground when he  came into contact with a 120-volt line and was thrown to the ground. The man sustained multiple fractures and had electrical burns, but was conscious and alert when he was transported to the hosptial, Middlemiss said. ---- Patriots' Day weekend was largely without incident, aside from the expected medical calls Monday during the early morning reenactment on the Battle Green, according to police and fire officials. Family-filled crowds behaved well and there …

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Week in Review, April 10 to 16

From Town Meeting to Patriots' Day reenactments, here's a recap of the week's biggest headlines.

For the second consecutive Monday, dozens of residents awoke April 11 to find their unlocked cars had been burglarized. This time, the alleged thieves struck the School Street neighborhood. Also on Monday, a reconsideration request sent Town Meeting out with a bang, after new Town Meeting member Michael McGuirk sought for—and received—reconsideration of a Article 13 B. Town Meeting approved his request to refocus the article from Robinson Road to the broader "Estabrook School site access" and to double the money to $200,000. All week long, we've had Hank Manz as our special guest scribe, filling in as Lexington Patch's "About Town" columnist while our regular writer Denise Dubé has been out of town. Check out his contributions here, here, …

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About Town

Some Good, Some Bad

And just a little bit of ugly.

Hank Manz is the About Town guest columnist from April 11 to 15 while Denise Dubé is out of town. It is my third day of being a guest columnist, but this is the first day that Denise has been truly away. I hear she is in St. Croix although I suspect they have Internet access there, so I am sure she will be checking on what I am writing. I really regret ever kidding Derrick Jackson, the Boston Globe columnist, about what a soft life he enjoys. But it has occurred to me that Clark Kent started out as a reporter.  And there is that whole Peter Parker thing with Spiderman, although he seems to have constant trouble with his editor, something I have not encountered at Patch. Two superheroes who work for newspapers ...  and I note the day I …

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