(Editor’s note: This is Antia’s report on a March 25 “Fireside Chat” with Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy sponsored by the Council on Aging.)
By Sharon Antia
One of the pressing questions we had was in relation to the police log that appears in most every issue of the Lincoln Journal. There is one entry that finds its way into the log quite frequently that none of us understood, and that is “the box.” Here is an example from an entry for February 3, 2015, “2:03 p.m.: A box was received on Lincoln Road.” The chief was able to set our minds at ease when he explained this meant a fire alarm box had been pulled at the specified time and place. Sure enough, I looked in the Fire log and found the following corresponding entry for February 3, “2:03 p.m.: Firefighters responded to Lincoln Road for a fire alarm activation.”
When asked about “suspicious activity” entries in the log, Kennedy said that could be anything at all—there’s no particular category of activity to fit this entry. As what information is available, he said just about everything is public record except certain protected pieces of information such as juvenile names and names of domestic violence victims. In some cases, when there is an ongoing investigation certain information may be held back for a period of time.
Home safety
House break-ins in Lincoln are comparatively rare. When there is a break-in, the police publish the street but not the house number in the police log so as to protect the privacy of the victims. The police will then canvass the area and knock on doors, so there is a good chance if there is a break-in in someone’s neighborhood, they will find out about it.
Someone asked about long driveways and whether houses far away from others are more attractive to thieves. Kennedy said thieves are not all cut from the same cloth, but the ones he usually chats with put ease of escape near the top of their list of requirements and may be less inclined to tackle the long driveway where, to quote the Chief, they might “feel like a caged rat.” Remember, however, this is variable.
Most house break-ins are through the door, and in general thieves are looking for jewelry, money and prescription drugs. Kennedy recommended locking the door when you go out and not opening the door for anyone unknown.
Break-ins often start with an offer of service. Someone will knock on your door with nefarious intentions and then if you answer, they will be prepared to offer you some sort of service. If you don’t answer, they’re in business. In order to solicit business in Lincoln, people must first obtain a permit from the Police Department, so if someone comes to your home to sell you a bill of goods, ask to see their permit. On the other hand, nonprofits are welcome to come to your home anytime.
Automobiles
Most car break-ins happen when the thief breaks a window after seeing something of value in a car, which is a good reminder to not leave your iPhone or purse on the front seat.
There was some conversation about the intersection by the library and some people not being respectful and letting others go in turn. It’s supposed to work like this: pedestrians have the first right of way. After that, the first person to enter the intersection has the right of way. If two or more cars enter the intersection at the same time, the person to the right has the right of way.
The police have a certain amount of discretion when stopping cars. Lincoln Police lean more towards warnings than citations, but don’t think that means you have a free pass, Kennedy said. However, they get few traffic complaints, and in fact the accident rate is so low in Lincoln that the town does not qualify for any grant money. When police do stop someone, the first thing they do is enter the license plate number into their computer to see who is the car’s owner, whether he or she licensed, and whether he or she has a record or outstanding arrest warrant. (Police can also do random queries of license plates, so be forewarned.) Most of the arrests made in Lincoln are traffic-related, and most of the traffic stops and arrests are for out-of-towners.
Schools
The Lincoln Police have a great relationship with the high schools and with Lincoln Public Schools. They meet monthly with the housemasters at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and talk about kids and families and who may be having a difficult time and how they can best support them. They frequently talk to classes at the high school about prom night, search and seizure regulations, house parties and how to get out of difficult situations. Officer Ian Spencer works not only with L-S students but also with students at Minuteman, the Carroll School and Lincoln middle school, talking about cybersecurity, bullying and more. When asked about dealing with parents, Kennedy said Lincoln parents are generally great to deal with.
Scams
There is little that can be done on an individual level to combat electronic scams. If you’re getting lots of phone calls or emails from a particular number/email address that you think is suspicious, you should report it to the police, but in general, it’s best to ignore or delete them. When the police do get involved, they bring the information to the Commonwealth Fusion Center, which compiles the information. If the scam is initiated overseas, there’s probably nothing that can be done.
Antisemitic crime
There have been a couple incidents reported in Bedford recently. Here in Lincoln there was a little activity a couple of years ago in the middle school, but nothing since then.
Departmental hiring
Kennedy said they screen heavily when hiring new officers. They look for “officers we would want to deal with our families,” and the audience agreed they have been successful.
Biggest challenges
The biggest challenge for the Lincoln Police is when something big happens such as a big storm. In a small town like this, it’s challenging to get enough resources to deal with downed power lines, fallen trees, etc. They are tied in with all the other towns, but when there’s a big weather event, the other towns are equally strapped so it can be challenging to mitigate the situation.
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