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Police log for November 6–12, 2020

Fraudulent unemployment claims were filed this week in the names of residents on Todd Pond Road, Birchwood Lane, Tower Road, Chestnut Circle, Sandy Pond Road, and Beaver Pond Road. because of the volume, the Lincoln Squirrel will no longer include these calls in the police log.

All of these claims are due to nationwide data breaches, and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating, according to Lincoln police. If you’re notified about a fraudulent claim of this type, go to www.mass.gov/info-details/report-unemployment-benefits-fraud to file a report online. The state will then send you a packet in the mail. If you receive a packet even if you didn’t file a claim, don’t ignore it. Police also recommend that you check your credit report to see if any new accounts are being opened in your name.

November 6

Public Safety Building (7:00 a.m.) — The building lost power and switched to generator power.

Bedford Road (12:42 p.m.) — Caller reported that a truck struck her side mirror while she was parked on Bedford Road and continued without stopping. Report taken; unable to locate the truck.

November 7

Hasting Road, Weston — Weston Fire Department requested a Lincoln ambulance for a medical call.

Donelan’s Supermarket (4:23 p.m.) — Caller reported that a child was left alone inside a vehicle. Officer responded but the vehicle was no longer parked. He took a report and followed up with the involved party.

Bypass Road (7:32 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing an outside fire on Bypass Road. Fire Department responded and located a small fire pit.

Donelan’s Supermarket (11:16 p.m.) — Caller reported an unattended bag outside Donelan’s. Officer responded and found that it was an empty bag.

November 8

Oak Knoll Road (3:00 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing a dog walking around the Oak Knoll area with no people around. No calls had been received for a missing dog.

Lincoln Cemetery (3:29 p.m.) — Caller reported finding a dog wandering around the cemetery. Animal Control was asked to contact the caller.

November 9

Short Hill Road (7:23 a.m.) — Caller reported a tree down on wires. Officer found the wires belong to Verizon, which was notified.

November 10

Virginia Road (7:44 a.m.) — Caller reported being locked inside their bathroom and unable to open the door. Fire and police responded but were canceled en route when caller was able to get the door open.

Tower Road (2:56 p.m.) — Officers responded to a one-car crash on Tower Road near the Weston line. No injuries; vehicle towed from the scene.

National Park, Hartwell lot (7:52 p.m.) — Officer checked on a camper vehicle parked in the lot. Everything was fine.

November 11

Mill Street (4:16 p.m.) — Caller report that someone was putting leaves from their lawn onto the traffic island on Mill Street near Lexington Road. The caller was unable to identify or describe the person.

November 12

No notable calls.

Commuter rail service cuts expected for Lincoln and other stops

In sharp contrast to the pre-pandemic era, when Lincoln commuters had to hustle to get a parking spot in the town lot each weekday morning, the lot was completely empty last Thursday except for a lone tractor. (Photo by Alice Waugh)

Lincoln and other towns with commuter rail stops will probably see an end to all weekend train service as well as the closure of some stations as the MBTA struggles to cope with a massive ridership dropoff due to the Covid-29 pandemic.

The proposed commuter rail service cuts released by the MBTA last week include:

  • No evening service after 9 p.m.
  • No weekend service (except for the Fairmount Line, which will be bused).
  • Decreased weekday peak service and some midday service, reducing from 505 trains (fall 2019) to 430 trains.
  • Eliminating the Silver Hill and Hastings stops in Weston plus four more of the 141 stations.

The MBTA is also proposing ending all ferry service and reducing bus and subway service.

No fare changes are included in the proposals and the service adjustments are not permanent, leaving open the possibility of some services being restored after the pandemic eases.

See the MBTA’s Forging Ahead website for details on the proposed cuts, a link to an online feedback form, and the schedule for meetings to gather public comment before the December 4 deadline. Residents may also email comments directly to publicengagement@mbta.com. The agency’s Fiscal and Management Control Board will vote on proposals on December 7.

MBTA ridership overall in October was only 26% of the volume for the same period in 2019. The commuter rail is experiencing approximately 13% of its pre-Covid-19 ridership and only about 8.5% of its normal ridership during morning peak periods.

Police outline benefits and FAQs on body-worn cameras

Following is a statement and FAQ about body-worn and cruiser cameras submitted to the public by the Lincoln Police Department, which is requesting funds for this equipment in next year’s budget.

The topic of body-worn cameras was raised during one of three Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism forums. Information stemming from all three forums will be the topic of the second State of the Town meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Click here for details on the three SOTT meetings this week.

As part of the Lincoln Police Department’s FY22 capital budget submission, the Department is requesting $61,400 for the purchase of 16 body-worn cameras for officers and five dash/prisoner cameras for police cruisers. The chosen vendor is GETAC.

In light of recent events across the country, there have been debates on a national, state and local level on police reform. Aside from changing police policy and procedure, many advocates are demanding all police officers wear body-worn cameras to accurately document police-citizen interactions, particularly in use of force situations. Furthermore, the use of such cameras are considered best practices as outlined in President Obama’s Task Force of 21st Century Policing which the department has embraced since 2015.

The perceived benefits of the cameras are that they:

  • increase transparency, legitimacy, and community trust
  • increase internal accountability
  • improve officer behavior
  • improve citizen behavior
  • expedite resolutions of complaints and lawsuits
  • document circumstances of how and when force is used
  • create opportunities for training
What is a body worn camera (BWC)?

It’s a camera worn on the exterior of the police officer’s body which is clearly visible on their chest, which captures and records audio and video of the police/citizen encounter.

Why are officers wearing cameras?

BWCs serve as a tool to document a police officer’s interaction with citizens. They are also valuable in maintaining community trust, transparency, and accountability. Given the great relationship we share with our community, the department continues to be proactive in strengthening our connection with its citizens.

When will police officers be recording with their body cameras?

Police officers will activate their BWC and cruiser cameras whenever they respond to calls for service or have citizen contacts where they anticipate taking law enforcement action.

What about my privacy during police encounters?

The Lincoln Police Department is aware of the legitimate privacy concerns associated with BWC. Our officers will record, per policy, when investigating criminal activity or a violation of law. Prior to the release of any recording, the department will ensure compliance with department policy, Rule 14 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure, and/or the Massachusetts Public Records Law, which may allow the redaction of certain elements of the recording including innocent parties and nonrelated identifiers such as registration numbers, addresses, etc. Our priority is to protect the right of privacy and ensure the safety of nonrelated parties.

Are there situations where officers cannot use their BWC?

Typically, officers will not record in places where there is an expectation of privacy, such as restrooms, locker rooms, and medical care facilities — unless there is reasonable suspicion a crime is being committed or the recording of the location is material to an investigation.

Before entering a private residence, without exigent circumstances, officers must obtain occupant consent before recording inside the residence. If the occupant declines to give consent, and absent exigent circumstances, the BWC shall be turned off while inside the residence. However, when responding to an exigent circumstance inside a private residence, the BWC will be activated throughout the exigency. Once the exigency is over, and when practical, officers must obtain consent from the occupant(s) in order to continue to record. Any request to turn the BWC off and the officer’s response shall be recorded.

Can I ask the officer to turn off the BWC?

Yes. After receiving notice of being recorded, the citizen may ask the officer to turn off the recording. However, the request to turn off the recording and the officer’s response will be recorded for documentation purposes.

Are officers required to tell citizens that they are being recorded?

Under Massachusetts law, officers are required to give notice to citizens that they are being audio recorded. Officers are not required to inform citizens that they are being video recorded while in a public place. However, per policy, officers are required to provide citizens with notice that they are being both audio and video recorded.

Can the officer tamper with the audio and video recording?

No — the GETAC system is specifically designed to prevent the user from altering or deleting any recordings.

How are the videos stored?

All videos are stored in secure cloud servers in compliance with the FBI Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) standards.

What is the process for obtaining a copy of a video recording?

The release of any recording must be approved in advance by the chief of police or department designee. Recordings shall be released in accordance with department policy, Rule 14 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure, and/or the Massachusetts Public Records Law. The chief of police may authorize the release of any recording deemed to be in the best interest of the community and public safety.

What happens to a video once it is recorded?

At the end of each shift, officers will upload the data to a cloud-based service to store the files. Depending on the type of video captured, data will be saved in accordance with department policy, Rule 14 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the Massachusetts Public Records Retention and Disposition Schedule.

Why is it necessary for in-cruiser camera system when officers have BWC’s?

The in-cruiser camera system will have two cameras, one facing forward (dash camera) documenting the perspective of the officer’s view. The dash camera is able to capture a wider perspective when officers respond to calls for service, conduct traffic stops, and have interactions which occur in front of the police cruiser. The second camera will be in the rear passenger compartment (prisoner camera) where a prisoner is seated while inside the cruiser.

Who can I speak with should I have questions?

You can contact Chief Kevin Kennedy at 781-259-8113 or kkennedy@lincolntown.org.

Both sides in Real dispute plan to keep on cooking

The Real restaurant expects to reopen even as two of its former owner/managers have filed suit against the remaining owner.

Residents learned last week that Tom Fosnot and Ruth-Anne Adams had left the restaurant they co-founded with Linsday Parker in 2019. On November 6, Fosnot and Adams sent a group email to previous customers revealing that Parker had sued the pair.

“It has become increasingly hard for Tom and I over the past few months. The only thing that was not working in the restaurant was our partnership with Lindsey. After she filed a lawsuit against us, we decided it was time to choose happiness for our family. So Tom and I are now cooking somewhere else. We remain in a partnership with Lindsey, but what will resolve with the restaurant we are not sure,” the email said.

“Of course, we loved being in Lincoln and it was a heartbreaking decision for Tom and I. Meeting all the kind people who supported us over this past year and half, who gave us an opportunity to do what we loved, was a dream come true. We will continue to cook from our hearts, inspired by the land around us. We will not be cooking in Lincoln, but we have found another kitchen to create inspired dishes. We will be delivering weekly to your doorstep. Our menu will grow as we get more comfortable in our venture,” Fosnot and Adams added in their email.

“It is unfortunate that my partners chose to make a private dispute public. I will not comment on that further,” Parker wrote in an email to the Lincoln Squirrel on November 10. “More importantly, I can confirm that Real is sticking around. I have already had a number of exciting conversations with some chefs, and while Covid presently remains a factor for the community and the hospitality business, it is fun to think about what might be next.”

Adams and Fosnot also would not comment on the lawsuit but offered some details on their plans in a November 11 email to the Squirrel:

“We are very excited about this new venture. We will be offering from-scratch delivery options three days a week. The food will have a mix of simple fare as well as more complex dishes, but all will feature high-quality ingredients, as well as local when possible. We hope to have some fun with the menus. We are offering Thanksgiving for delivery and we will be offering holiday menus in December. Our website will be up soon, but right now we are sending emails with our offerings. If people want to be on the email list they can email us at tomandraa@gmail.com.”

Water Dept. superintendent leaving as town considers future plans for water supply

Water Department Superintendent MaryBeth Wiser has resigned as of Jan. 1, 2021. The change will mean another recruiting push for the embattled department, which has seen budget and personnel turmoil resulting in substantial capital spending and water rate increases.

Wiser said she was retiring in her letter of resignation she sent in September to the Water Commission, which voted to accept it at its November 3 meeting. Wiser did not return a call and email requesting comment.

“From my perspective, [the resignation] was her choice. We double-checked with and gave it due process and an appropriate amount of time to make sure it was not just a fleeting dissatisfaction,” Water Commission Chair Jim Hutchinson said this week.

Almost from the start of her tenure in March 2018, there was conflict between Wiser and the other department employees. Several of them alleged she was unqualified and abusive and complained to town officials about her, according to minutes of the commission’s August 8, 2018 meeting and interviews with the Lincoln Squirrel in October 2019.

But commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson lauded her accomplishments during a difficult period for the department. “MaryBeth worked her heart out while she was here in Lincoln. She was focused on bringing the department up to the latest standards,” she said. “Everything she did was about improving the quality of the water and the management structures of the department. She worked incredible hours and was on call 24/7 for months. She never let us down and did her best to keep everything running. For that, the commissioners will always be grateful.”

Since Wiser’s arrival, the Water Department has spent millions on capital projects to replace aging equipment as well as for outside consultants to cope with staff vacancies after several resignations amid an ongoing statewide shortage of qualified operators. As a result, the town has approved loans totaling almost $2 million, and the department’s operating budget for the current fiscal year is 38% higher than last year’s. Customers also saw water rates hikes of 25% in 2019 and 28% in 2020.

At her most recent annual review in August, the Water Commission “commended Superintendent Wiser for her tremendous efforts and very long hours this past year” and said it “greatly values Ms. Wiser’s strong initiative, dependability, and loyalty” as well as her understanding of water science and state regulations pertaining to public water supplies. The commission identified budget management, personnel management, and communications as areas in which she needed improvement.

Hiring date for new superintendent unclear

If past history is any indication, it could take some time to fill the superintendent opening. The job posting offers a salary of $96,506 to $111,878, “but we don’t know yet what we’ll need to pay,” Hutchinson said. The town had to raise its salary offer to fill at least one of the earlier vacancies.

The future superintendent will also need additional qualifications to oversee new pretreatment coagulation equipment that’s about to be installed. That equipment will solve a problem stemming from the fact that Flint’s Pond has twice the level of organic matter as it did when the plant was designed in 2002. Meanwhile, the department plans to seek more capital spending in the next fiscal year to replace the aging Tower Road well.

“It behooves us to get a strong candidate to keep the department back on track as we’ve labored to do in the last year,” Hutchinson said. However, because of the job requirements and ongoing shortage of qualified candidates, it’s quite possible that Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira may have to step in after Wiser’s departure as acting superintendent for the administrative side of the job.

What’s down the road?

Thanks to the recent and upcoming expenditures, the water treatment plant will soon be almost like new — but the commission and new superintendent will still have to grapple with the future direction of Lincoln’s public water supply. Consultants Tata and Howard are expected to deliver a preliminary report next month outlining three options: continue to upgrade and modernize the existing plant, build a new plant with a more modern design that’s less costly to operate, or join the MWRA and get its water from the Quabbin Reservoir.

The current plant was “one of the first of its kind… it’s old technology,” Hendrickson said. “Every five or six years, these plants need to be overhauled, and even if we decided today to join the MWRA, it would take about five years, so it’s a good time to start this study.”

Police log for Oct. 30–November 4, 2020

Downed trees, branches, and/or wires were reported on Lincoln Road, South Great Road, Tower Field Lane, and Tower Road on October 20, on Lincoln Road on October 31, and on Tabor Hill Road, Lexington Road, and Lincoln Road on November 2.

Callers reported that fraudulent claims of unemployment were filed in their names on Short Hill Road (November 2), Bedford Road (November 3), and Tower Road (November 4),

October 30

Ballfield Road (8:40 a.m.) — Caller reported seeing someone stealing a political sign at the intersection of Ballfield Road and Lincoln Road. Police reported that at 11:07 a.m., they were able to identify the person responsible for stealing political signs. Officers spoke to the individual and later followed up with the owner of the signs.

October 31

Ballfield Road (2:29 p.m.) — Caller reported political signs were stolen from Lincoln Rd at Ballfield Road and Lincoln Road and Rte. 117.

Old Concord Road (4:21 p.m.) — Caller reported what looks like a water leak at a neighbor’s house who isn’t home. Officer responded and dispatch attempted to make contact with the owner.

Todd Pond Road (8:34 p.m.) — Caller reported the sound of a loud music. Officers responded and spoke to the homeowner, asking them to bring their kids inside.

Sandy Pond Road (10:22 p.m.) — Report of political signs knocked over.

November 1

Old Sudbury Road (9:40 a.m.) — Caller reported finding political signs on their property. Unknown who placed them there. Officer responded and retrieved the signs and returned them to the owner.

Old Concord Road (9:15 p.m.) — Caller reported that someone knocked on their door asking if someone dropped food off at their house.

November 2

Wells Road (1:03 a.m.) — Caller reported their child (age 12+) was missing. After an investigation, the juvenile was located and returned home.

Grasshopper Lane (7:27 a.m.) — Caller reported a telephone wire was hanging low and was concerned that a truck could hit it. Verizon notified.

Wells Road (11:45 a.m.) — A walk-in to the station reported finding a pink hat while walking on Wells Road.

Bedford Road (2:55 p.m.) — Caller requested an officer to come to the residence as he picks up some items.

Huckleberry Hill Road (4:36 p.m.) — Report of several political signs stolen.

Wells Road (5:47 p.m.) — Officer assisted a party back to their residence.

November 3

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (9:53 a.m.) – Caller reported dog running on Rte. 2. Dog located on Reiling Pond Road. Owner later called reported their dog missing. Animal control notified and handled.

November 4

Baker Bridge Road (8:56 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled off to the side of the road. Driver is OK; was using phone.November 5

Trapelo Road (2:32 p.m.) — Caller reported being scammed over the internet by sending gift cards to an unknown person.

Lincoln Police Department (3:30 pm.) — A walk-in to the station reported losing a key to his car. The key hadn’t been turned into the station.

State of the Town updates to span three evenings

Lincoln’s annual State of the Town meeting will be split into three online meetings from 7­–9 p.m. on three consecutive days next week. Topics and dates will be as follows. Click here to register for any or all of the sessions.

Tuesday, Nov. 17

Wednesday, Nov. 18

  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism
    • Background and links to the videos and slide decks of the three Board of Selectmen’s roundtables

Thursday, Nov. 19

Managers of Real restaurant depart; eatery’s future uncertain

Two of the three owner/managers of Lincoln’s Real restaurant have left the business, which has suspended service for the time being, although “there is no intention to close Real,” according to remaining manager Lindsay Parker.

When Real opened in South Lincoln in 2019, Tom Fosnot was the primary chef and Ruth-Anne Adams was in charge of the front-of-house staff and general operations while Parker handled the business side. Geoff McGean, executive director of the Rural Land Foundation, which owns the building, said this week that Parker “has not indicated  to us what the future of the restaurant might be.”

“I am going to spend some time to regroup and consider the right next chapter for the restaurant, especially in light of existing challenges presented by COVID,” Parker said in an email. “That being said, there is no intention to close Real. I have been deeply gratified by the support Real has received from the Lincoln community since we opened in March 2019, and especially since the world changed so dramatically earlier this year. I look forward to the prospect of returning that favor by having Real continue as an inviting gathering spot and community asset for years to come.”

“We truly loved being in Lincoln and the Rural Land Foundation has been an amazing source of support for Tom and I,” Adams said in an email. “In addition, we have tremendous gratitude toward the community that was brought together through the building of Real. We would like, however, to speak with our attorney before commenting further.”

Real is the latest of several restaurants that have come and gone at Lincoln Station. Lincoln Kitchen closed after just 15 months of operation. It was preceded by AKA Bistro, which operated for several years but was ultimately doomed by a pair of unfortunate events: the lengthy closure of nearby Donelan’s after its roof collapsed in a snowstorm in February 2011, significantly reducing business traffic for the entire mall, and the closure of AKA itself for several months starting in December 2013 after a burst ceiling pipe caused extensive interior water damage. 

Volunteers helped count thousands of election ballots cast early

(Editor’s note: This story was written and intended to be posted on Sunday, Nov. 1, but a technical error prevented its timely publication.)

November 1, 2020 — Millions of ballots nationwide are already being tallied in advance of Election Day on Tuesday, and Lincoln is no different. On Sunday, Nov. 1, the Town Clerk staff and volunteers spent hours opening and recording votes submitted via absentee ballot and early in-person voting.

A total of 3,467 votes have been cast (2,111 in precinct 1 and 1,356 in precinct 2). With 5,015 registered voters among Lincoln’s 7,050 residents, that translates to a voter turnout of 69% even before the polls open on Tuesday. Nonetheless, the polls will undoubtedly be busy on Tuesday; voter turnout in the last presidential election in 2016 was almost 86%, according to Town Clerk Valerie Fox.

Sunday’s process involved two sets of volunteers in Town Hall opening ballots, checking them against lists of registered voters, and feeding them into a voting machine that will tabulate the votes but will not display results until the polls have closed at 8 p.m. on November 3.

The pandemic and the passions surrounding this year’s election have galvanized Lincoln voters who are generally quite enthusiastic and involved even in normal years. On the first day of early voting on October 17, “there was a constant line,” Fox said. 

In recent months, there was concern in many towns that there would not be enough help on and before Election Day, since polling volunteers tend to skew older and many senior citizens are wary of Covid-19. But this hasn’t been a problem, as younger residents have filled the gap, including college students who did not go back to campus in September because of the Covid-19 restrictions.

“One of the great things that’s come out of this election is the number of people who have volunteered,” Fox said. “Many seniors are not comfortable [working] on Election Day, but younger people have volunteered, and it’s their time to step in,” Fox said. 

The reliability of the U.S Postal Service amid reports of delivery slowdowns that could have depressed turnout has also been a concern nationwide, “but the Lincoln postal services have been beyond what I could have hoped for — they have been absolutely outstanding,” Fox said. As an example, town postal workers received 2,000 blank ballots on October 7 for distribution residents who requested them — and they were all delivered on the same day. Postal workers are also prioritizing ballots that are postmarked on or before November 3 that don’t arrive that day. If the Town Clerk’s office gets them by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, they’ll still count.

Click the photos below for larger versions and captions:

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Lincoln goes for Biden in a blowout as national results still undetermined

Lincoln’s unofficial election results are in, and as expected, Democrat Joe Biden trounced President Donald Trump by a margin of 81% to 19%. Statewide, Biden’s margin of victory was 66% to 33%.

Lincolnites also approved both ballot questions by comfortable margins. However, 55% of voters statewide said no to ranked-choice voting, according to The New York Times. The right-to-repair question passed in Massachusetts with 75% of voters saying yes.

In Lincoln, 4,152 voters cast ballots, or 83% of registered voters. A total of 3,467 (84%) of ballots were cast via absentee ballot, mail in, or early voting.

Click here to see a map outlining Lincoln’s two voting precincts.

Precinct #1Precinct #2Total% of ballots
cast*
U.S. PRESIDENT
Biden & Harris (D)2,0711,3033,37481%
Trump & Pence (R)34132066116%
Hawkins & Walker (Green/Rainbow)13518<1%
Jorgensen & Cohen (Libertarian)321951<1%
U.S. SENATE
Edward Markey (D)2,0261,2683,29479%
Kevin O'Connor (R)42435978319%
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Katherine Clark (D)2,0071,2463,25378%
Caroline Colarusso (R)42036278219%
COUNCILLOR
Marilyn Devaney (D)1,8791,2043,08374%
STATE SENATOR
Michael Barrett1,9811,2553,32678%
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Thomas Stanley (D)1,7651,1372,90270%
George Darcy (I)41429971317%
REGISTER OF PROBATE
Tara deCristofaro (D)1,5991,0662,66564%
QUESTION #1
(Right to repair)
Yes1,9151,2653,18077%
No47133880919%
QUESTION #2
(Ranked-choice voting)
Yes1,5781,0092,58762%
No8015841,38533%

* Totals do not add up to 100% because write-in and blank ballots are not included.