Needham Police Department

If you’ve been around Needham long enough, you’ve probably heard the stories. Some say they’re legends. Others say they’re exaggerated. We can confirm that most of them are somehow true.

By day, Officer Palmer is a full-time police officer.

By night (and sometimes during lunch breaks), he’s also:

🐟 Full-time salmon smoker

🐍 Part-time snake wrangler

🦉 Part-time owl savior

🚗 Part-time tire changer

🐢 Part-time turtle rescuer

Over the years, Officer Palmer has responded to calls that don’t exactly make it into the police academy training manual. Stranded wildlife, confused reptiles, injured birds, disabled vehicles. You name it, he’s probably helped with it. At this point, we’re fairly certain local animals have him on speed dial.

Speaking of turtles…

It’s turtle nesting and migration season here in New England, which means you may see turtles crossing roadways as they travel to nesting areas. While they may seem slow, they’re usually on an important mission.

A few turtle safety tips:

🐢 If it’s safe to do so, help a turtle cross the road in the direction it was already heading.

🐢 Never relocate a turtle far from where you found it. They know where they’re going, even if it doesn’t look that way.

🐢 Be especially cautious near wetlands, ponds, and marshy areas where turtles are commonly found.

🐢 Slow down and stay alert while driving, particularly during the warmer months.

🐢 If you encounter a snapping turtle, admire it from a safe distance. They are best left to experienced handlers.

Every turtle safely reaching the other side helps protect local wildlife and future generations of these remarkable animals.

And if you happen to see Officer Palmer carrying a turtle, rescuing an owl, wrangling a snake, changing a tire, and smoking salmon all in the same day, just know it’s a typical shift.

Proud to call this town, home!

Rocket and crew had a wonderful visit with our William Street residents, who hosted a neighborhood lemonade stand and raised more than $200 for the Needham Police Working Dogs Foundation. This is the second time these amazing kids have come together to support us.

They were thrilled to see the police cars, give lots of pets to Rocket, and get a special visit from our brothers and sisters from Needham Fire, who gave the lemonade two thumbs up!

We are grateful to be part of such a caring and supportive community.

For the past several years, the Needham Police Department has been proud to build an incredible partnership with Best Buddies at Needham High School.

Through the dedication of our officers and School Resource Officers, this collaboration has gone far beyond fundraising. It has created meaningful connections, lasting friendships, and countless opportunities for students within the school community.

The Best Buddies program often face limitations when it comes to fundraising in a school setting, which makes community support even more impactful.

Over just the last 36 hours, thanks to the sale of our Firework Coins in celebration of Massachusetts’ 250th, we are proud to share that more than $350 has already been raised to support this amazing program.

We will continue selling these coins through July 4th and encourage everyone to take part in supporting a program that fosters inclusion, compassion, and opportunity.

Most importantly, we want to recognize the incredible students of Best Buddies. Their kindness, energy, and unwavering care for one another are truly inspiring. They remind us all what it means to support others unconditionally and to build a community rooted in respect and friendship.

Place an order before it is too late!

https://forms.gle/VB1DWpLwk3ijr4iP7

As the days begin to wind down for the Class of 2026, we want to take a moment to recognize an incredible group of students who have left a lasting impression on our community.

From the classrooms to the playing fields, from volunteering in town to simply showing kindness to one another, this class has represented the very best of Needham. You’ve grown, persevered, and supported each other through it all.

We are truly proud of each and every one of you. Watching you reach this milestone is a reminder of the bright future ahead, not just for you, but for the communities you’ll go on to impact.

As you turn the page to your next chapter, know that your hometown is cheering you on every step of the way. No matter where life takes you, you’ll always have a place here in Needham.

Congratulations, Class of 2026.

Now that the fun has subsided, we’re back to our regularly scheduled serious postings.

Just kidding, of course.

After our recent (and very unexpected) bit of internet fame, including a mention on CNN, we received some messages asking how you can get your hands on some Needham Police memorabilia.

To make things easier (and to save us from digging through countless DMs), we’ve created a simple Google Form for all requests. Through the form, you can order a Rocket stuffy, a Needham Police patch, and/or a challenge coin.

Even better, all of these items support various nonprofit organizations such as the Needham VFW, Needham DVAC, Best Buddies of Needham, and the Doug Flutie Foundation.

As some of you have seen, we have a very limited edition 250th Anniversary challenge coin that we are releasing for the fireworks in Needham on July 3. The proceeds from this coin are going to go to the Best Buddies program at Needham High School for the invaluable work they do each and every day with the students in the community.

It’s a great way for us to give back to the community and to the people who continuously support what we do.

Unfortunately, we are still working on a prototype T-shirt cannon capable of launching Rocket stuffies, so for now, the Google Form will have to do.

Thank you all for the incredible support!

https://forms.gle/VB1DWpLwk3ijr4iP7

Listen.

We have been fortunate enough to be blessed by the algorithms when it comes to our social media following. What started as a small group has grown to well over 16,500 followers. We now reach people not only across Massachusetts, but throughout the country.

What people seem to enjoy most about this page is our snarky humor, our David Rose memes, and of course our infinite wisdom when things are happening here in the Town of Needham.

With that said, let’s be clear.

If there were ever a serious situation, we would immediately inform our residents. We wouldn’t have an incident occur in town and then casually follow it up with a David Rose meme. That’s just not how we operate. You have seen how we handle serious situations first hand.

Within 1-2 min, we were aware that the loud noise many of you heard wasn’t isolated to Needham, it was felt across much of Massachusetts. It wasn’t life threatening.

We also want to touch on something important. When incidents like this happen, our phone lines can quickly become inundated with calls from people understandably curious about what they heard. While we completely understand the concern, it’s important to remember that those same phone lines are how we receive emergency calls, house fires, cardiac arrests, serious domestic violence situations, and individuals in crisis.

Our lines simply CANNOT be tied up by calls asking what the noise was or when more information will be available.

If there is an immediate threat or something the public needs to know, we will communicate that quickly and clearly through our social media channels. We also have the ability to utilize the Town of Needham’s emergency notification system, including reverse 911, when necessary.

We understand and appreciate that people enjoy the lighthearted nature of this page.

Quite frankly, a lot of people need that right now. Between the cost of groceries, gas prices, bills, and everything else going on in the world, stress levels are high. We hear it directly from HUNDREDS of you who message us to say that these posts give you a moment to breathe and laugh.

That’s something we’re proud of, and it’s something we’re going to continue doing.

🚨🚨🚨 FOLKS. Please stop calling 911 and the non-emergency number unless you need police services. We have no information at this time and phone lines are being tied up with actual calls for service.

Yes, we think that was an earthquake…or maybe a sonic boom. Either way, we are over today.

The Needham Police Department and Needham Fire Department are currently on scene with multiple utility poles down in the area of Cedar Street at Homsy Lane.

Cedar Street is closed at the Wellesley town line as well as at Wellesley Avenue Extension.

There are active power outages in the surrounding area, and this will be a large and extended repair process.

Please avoid the area, seek alternate routes, and use caution if traveling nearby.

We ask that residents do not call the station for updates, including questions regarding power restoration, as utility crews are working as quickly and safely as possible.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation.

Yesterday, the Needham Police Department was happy to assist the Dedham Firefighters Local 1735 with an extensive brush fire along the Needham town line.

Officer Peck, piloting one of our department drones (unofficially earning the title of “Helicopter Parent”), provided critical aerial support to firefighters as they battled the blaze for nearly eight hours. The drone proved to be a valuable resource, offering real-time visibility and situational awareness to crews on the ground.

Our Drone Unit currently consists of four highly trained members and a supervisor who train weekly and respond to calls for service both within Needham, alongside our regional partners, and our neighboring communities.

We are proud to have this capability and grateful for the opportunity to support our fellow agencies and the communities we serve.

Today, the Needham Police Department was honored to assist with security operations as the World Cup trophy made its stop at Coca-Cola’s headquarters here in Needham. It was a great opportunity to support a global event that brings excitement and unity to communities around the world.

As the World Cup approaches in the coming weeks, the Needham Police Department will be assisting the Foxborough Police Department and other regional law enforcement partners throughout the Commonwealth. A large complement of our officers will be deployed to support World Cup operations and help ensure the safety and success of this international event.

We are excited to be part of such a unique event, one that doesn’t come around often, especially here in the Boston area.