Needham Police Department

Our annual Fall Open House at the Public Safety Building is almost here, and we have an exciting lineup planned!

We’ll have plenty of old favorites back again this year, like our police motorcycles and cruisers, tour the jail cells, and of course, meet some of everyone’s favorite four-legged members of public safety! Let's not forget pizza and ice cream!

We’re also adding some new attractions this year! The Metro-LEC SWAT BearCat, which was a huge hit at National Night Out, will be making an appearance, and we’ll have our brand-new UTV on display for the first time!

Our friends from the Babson College Police Department will also be joining us and bringing an assortment of equipment and resources for everyone to check out. Local organizations and community partners will have tables set up throughout the event as well.

And remember, that’s just our side of the building!

Our partners at the Needham Fire Department will have a whole host of their own kid-friendly activities, equipment, apparatus, and opportunities to explore. There will be plenty to see and do on both sides of the Public Safety Building!

We’ll also be attempting to fill boxes with Rocket stuffed animals for a very special delivery.

The stuffed Rockets will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital-Needham and Beth Israel Deaconess-Needham for patients, especially some of their youngest visitors who may need a little extra comfort during a difficult time.

With the holidays getting closer, hospital stays can be especially tough for children and their families. We’re hoping these little Rockets can bring a smile, provide some comfort, and remind them that there are a lot of people in their community thinking about them.

📅 Saturday, October 17
⏰ 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 Needham Public Safety Building

There is no cost to attend, so bring the family, explore the station, meet our public safety teams, grab some food, and help us fill those boxes with Rockets!

What a beautiful Sunday at the Harvest Fair on Greene’s Field! With more than 100 vendors and a great crowd throughout the day, we had an awesome time talking with so many of you.

We answered plenty of questions about Rocket, Ghost, the Police Department, and just about everything in between!

We also had two important reunions today.

During the fair, two children became separated from their parents at different times. Before anyone heads to the comments, there is absolutely no judgment here. Busy community events are crowded, kids are curious, and it can happen incredibly quickly.

Instead, we want to recognize both kids for doing exactly what we hope a child would do.

When they realized they had wandered a little too far and couldn’t find their families, they spoke up and told an adult they were lost. Both were quickly directed to our officers, and we were able to reunite them with their very relieved parents shortly afterward.

Those are important conversations to have with your kids. If you ever get separated, don’t keep wandering around looking. Find a police officer, firefighter, event staff member, or another trusted adult and tell them you need help.

Both kids handled a scary situation incredibly well, and we’re proud of them.

Beautiful weather, a great community, lots of conversations, and two happy reunions.

All in a day’s work, Needham.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had several incredibly thoughtful residents, businesses, and community organizations stop by the station with food, snacks, treats, and other items for our officers and dispatchers.

Whether it’s during a storm, an especially busy shift, or simply as a thank you following a call for service, these gestures mean more to us than you probably realize.

A special thank you to Tommy Griffin and the Needham Common Room, the Borelli family, the Needham High School PTC, and the Needham Women’s Club for thinking of us and making sure our shifts were well fed!

Police work doesn’t always follow a schedule, and sometimes a shift gets so busy that grabbing a meal takes a back seat. Having something waiting at the station can make a long day, or night, a whole lot better.

To everyone who has stopped by, sent something over, or simply thought of us, thank you. We are incredibly fortunate to serve a community that continually looks out for us while we work to look out for you.

From all of us at the Needham Police Department, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and continued support.

Throughout the year, there are some pretty amazing organizations behind the scenes helping us keep Rocket and Ghost happy, healthy, and ready to serve our community.

The Peaceful Pooch Grooming Co., Highland Animal Hospital, and Petco Needham support our dogs in so many ways, far beyond we ever imagined.

From grooming and baths, to physicals and checkups, medications, and even their everyday food, we couldn't do it without them.

None of these organizations do it for recognition.

In fact, they never ask for any. They simply believe in Rocket and Ghost and the work they do throughout our schools and community. But we think that deserves some recognition.

So we’re asking our community to help us return the favor! If you know them, visit them, or see them around town, please give them a shout-out or send them a quick message of thanks for everything they do for Rocket and Ghost.

Community partnerships like these are what make programs like ours possible, and we truly couldn’t do it without them.

From all of us at the Needham Police Department, and especially Rocket & Ghost, THANK YOU!

Join the Needham Police Department and Needham Fire Department on Saturday, October 17, from 11:00 AM–2:00 PM for one of our favorite, and most well-attended, community events of the year!

Our Police & Fire Open House is completely FREE and packed with things for the entire family to see and do.

🍕 More than 1,000 slices of pizza!
🌭 Hot dogs
🚓 Police cruisers and equipment
🚔 Metro-LEC Bearcat
🚁 Check out our drone unit
🚒 Fire trucks and fire equipment
👋 Numerous tables of local community partners
👮 Meet members of Needham Police
👨‍🚒 Meet members of Needham Fire
🔒 Tour our holding cells where every year, more than a few parents ask if they can leave their kids for an extended stay. The kids usually become much more interested when we tell them our "temporary guests" get McDonald’s!

…and SO MUCH MORE!

For the last three years, the turnout has been incredible, and this has quickly become one of our most well-attended community events of the year.

There is no cost to attend. Bring the family, come hungry, explore the equipment, tour the stations, and spend some time with your Needham first responders.

📅 Saturday, October 17
⏰ 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

We can’t wait to see you there!

A significant storm is expected to impact our area for multiple days, bringing periods of heavy rain and strong winds. With the duration of this storm, we anticipate the possibility of localized flooding, downed trees and wires, and road closures throughout Needham.

Before the rain arrives, please take a few minutes to clear leaves and debris from storm drains near your home, if it is safe to do so. Keeping drains clear can make a big difference during prolonged periods of heavy rain.

🚧 If a road is closed, please do not attempt to drive around barricades or officers. Conditions can change quickly, and a roadway that appears passable may be flooded, damaged, or blocked by downed wires or trees.

🚗 Never drive through standing or moving water. Turn around and find another route.

⚡ Always assume downed wires are live. Stay well away, keep children and pets clear, and never attempt to move a wire, branch, or anything else that may be touching it.

With this being a multi-day event, please plan ahead, allow extra time for travel, and expect that your normal route may not always be available.

For downed wires, significant flooding, trees blocking roadways, or any situation presenting an immediate public safety hazard, please call 911.

For non-emergencies, call 781-455-7570. Please do not call asking when your power will be restored. We do not possess a magic eight ball.

Our officers, along with our partners at Needham Fire and DPW, will be out throughout the storm responding to issues as they arise.

A huge thank you to our friends at the Medway Police Department for putting together this incredibly helpful flyer!

E-bikes, electric scooters, mopeds, and electric dirt bikes can look very similar, but the laws surrounding them are very different. We encourage parents to SAVE this flyer to their phones and take a few minutes to understand exactly what their child is riding.

We’ve responded to numerous crashes involving these bikes and scooters. We love seeing kids outside, spending time with friends, and enjoying some independence, but that independence comes with responsibility. Helmets, speed, traffic laws, visibility, and knowing where your particular bike or scooter can legally be operated all matter.

Parents, please know what you are purchasing and what your child is riding. Buying a high-powered electric dirt bike or other motorized bike for a child does not make it legal for them to operate it on a public road. Parents can also face legal and financial consequences depending on the circumstances when they knowingly allow a child to operate an e-bike unlawfully. Just as with other situations involving minors, providing the means for something does not eliminate the adult’s responsibility.

Sadly, communities around us have experienced heartbreaking tragedies involving young riders. We desperately want to prevent that from happening here. These machines can be fast, quiet, and difficult for motorists to see.

One mistake can have lifelong consequences.

Know what your child is riding. Know where they are riding it. Make sure they have the right safety equipment. And please talk with them about respecting the rules of the road.

We would much rather educate a family today than respond to a preventable tragedy tomorrow.

As our Jewish neighbors observe the High Holy Days, the Needham Police Department extends our heartfelt wishes for a meaningful Yom Kippur and a peaceful year ahead.

At a time when our world continues to experience conflict, division, uncertainty, and antisemitism, the messages of reflection, compassion, renewal, and peace carry even greater meaning.

Here in Needham, we are incredibly grateful for the strong relationships we share with our temples, Jewish families, and the entire Jewish community. Those relationships extend far beyond the holidays. We are proud to stand alongside you, and work together to ensure everyone in our community feels safe, supported, and welcome.

As Yom Kippur is observed and Sukkot follows, may this season bring comfort to those carrying heavy hearts, strength to those facing difficult times, and hope for a world with peace.

From all of us at the Needham Police Department, we wish you and your families health, happiness, and a meaningful year ahead.

They are silent, but incredibly impactful.

On Monday evening, our officers responded to an incredibly difficult incident at a home here in Needham. No other information will be released regarding this.

As we began thinking about how we could support the students in the days ahead, one of the first questions asked from school administration that night was:

“How many dogs can we get to the high school?”

It was 9:30 pm, but it didn't matter.

The answer over the next several days was incredible.

Community resource and comfort dogs from the Babson College Police Department, Boston University Police Department, Dedham Police Department, Harvard Police Department, Hingham Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Littleton Police Department, Methuen Police Department, Newton Police Department, North Andover Police Department, Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, Plymouth Fire Department, Shrewsbury Police Department, and Wayland Police Department all answered the call, joining our own Rocket and Ghost in supporting the Needham High School community.

For the last two days, these dogs walked the halls, sat quietly beside students and staff, offered a paw, brought a smile when one was desperately needed, and provided comfort during moments when there simply weren’t words.

They didn’t ask questions. They didn’t expect anyone to talk. They were just there.

And sometimes, being there is enough.

We are incredibly grateful to every handler and agency that rearranged schedules, traveled to Needham, and simply said, “We’ll be there.”

This week has been a reminder that the patch on our shoulder may be different, but when one community is hurting, we show up for one another.

To all of our partners who showed up for Needham, and especially for the students, thank you.

Twenty-five years ago today, 2,977 lives were taken in a matter of hours, leaving an emptiness that time will never fully erase.

We remember those who went to work, boarded a plane, or began an ordinary morning and never made it home.

We honor the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and citizens who ran toward unimaginable danger because someone else needed help.

They climbed stairs others were fleeing, entered buildings others were escaping, fighting back on Flight 93, and put the lives of complete strangers before their own.

Their courage that morning remains one of the greatest examples of selflessness our nation has ever witnessed.

Today, we remember every life lost, every family forever changed, and every hero who answered the call.

Twenty-five years later, their sacrifice is not forgotten and neither are their names.