Maynard Police Department

Wearing a bike helmet could save your life.  According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, in 2009, 91% of people killed while riding a bicycle were not wearing helmets.

Massachusetts State Law requires that if you are 16 years old or younger, you must wear a helmet that meets ANSI requirements while riding a bike on a public way, even as a passenger. The helmet must fit your head and the chin strap must be fastened.  Violations of the law can result in impounding of the bicycle for up to 15 days.

More information regarding Massachusetts bicycle laws can be found in Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 85, Section 11b.

The Maynard Police Department would like to offer our condolences to the Springfield Police Department, the family, and friends of our brother Officer Kevin Ambrose who was killed in the line of duty on June 4th, 2012.

On Monday, May 28th, the town of Maynard will be holding their Memorial Day parade.  The parade will start at the Maynard High School parking lot at 10:00 AM and take the following route:

• Turn right on Great Rd
• Great Rd to the Glenwood cemetery- 1st stop
• Glenwood Cemetery on Great Rd back to Parker St.
• Right on Parker St.
• Parker St to St. Bridget’s Cemetary- 2nd stop
• Parker St to Walnut St
• Left on Walnut St to the bridge- 3rd stop
• Walnut St to Main St
• Right on Main St to Summer St
• Left on Summer St to the Memorial park – 4th stop
• Memorial park to the American Legion
• Parade ends at the American Legion

Please expect delays along the parade route during the parade.

The prescription drug drop box for the Middlesex Drug Take Back Program has been installed in the lobby of the Maynard Police Department. It is accessible 24 hours a day.

Additional details about Middlesex Drug Take-back Program which the Maynard Police Department is participating in.

D.A. Leone and Maynard Police Address the Dangers of Unused Prescription Drugs

New Drug Collection Units Offer Safe Disposal

MAYNARD – Maynard residents will now have a free, safe method to dispose of unused or expired prescription medication thanks to a new drug collection program announced today by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone and Police Chief James Dawson.

MedReturn Drug Collection Units will be delivered by Friday to 29 police departments in Middlesex County, including Maynard.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office purchased the units for the departments through drug forfeiture funds, which can be used for the purpose of drug rehabilitation, drug education and other anti-drug efforts.

“Illegal use of prescription drugs is the nation’s fastest growing drug problem,” DA Leone said.  “Part of the problem is that these harmful drugs often sit unused in medicine cabinets, offering easy access for young people to take and abuse them.  These new drug collection units provide an effective and convenient method for disposal of unwanted medications without harming our environment and keeping powerful drugs off of the streets.”

The effort is part of the District Attorney’s goal to address issues of substance abuse among young people.  An estimated 2.4 million Americans misused prescription drugs for the first time within the past year, and about a third of those users were age 12 to 17, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“There is a misunderstanding about the dangers of prescription drugs,” said Chief Dawson.  “No one should ever take a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them by their doctor.  All too often we see instances where people have misused and abused these drugs with deadly consequences.  Having the drug collection unit in Maynard will make it easier for all residents to safely dispose of unused drugs and hopefully prevent future drug-related incidents.”

The drug collection units will be placed at the Maynard police station.  Medication can be disposed of anonymously at any time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic.  According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Heath, more than 70 percent of people who abused prescription pain killers got them from relatives or friends. Additionally, the study reports, more and more opiate overdoses are now a result of prescription painkillers.

Every day, on average, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The DEA also reports that 56 percent of teens say prescription drugs are easier to get than illicit drugs.  Two in five teens believe that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs.

Middlesex County is the largest county in Massachusetts and one of the largest counties in the country with 54 towns and cities and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including communities such as Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Natick, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.

On Sunday, April 29th, the Assabet Valley Little League will be holding their Opening Day Parade.  At 12:30 PM, softball and baseball players, their coaches, and the Maynard High School Band will start the parade at the Clock Tower lot on Main Street.  The parade will follow a new route this year.

• Begin on Main Street and proceed through downtown to Waltham Street
• Right on Waltham Street to Parker Street
• Right on Parker Street to Great Road
• Right on Great Road to Alumni Field
• Left into the Field

Please expect delays in the area during the parade.

From the Stow Police Department:

ALERT: On April 11, 2012 it was reported to the Stow Police that an individual was pulled over by an unknown individual who may not have been a police officer, possibly on Gleasondale Road or Wilkins St. Then on April 16, 2012 in Bolton at 1:30am a female was pulled over by a newer model Toyota Corolla, possibly dark blue or black. The vehicle displayed a single roof-mounted rotary style blue light. There were no other emergency lights, sirens or wigwags displayed. The individual was wearing lighter colored, possibly Wrangler jeans; a beige colored trench coat fully buttoned up; an older style thicker and slightly squared frame set of glasses with thick lenses,described as "coke bottle" glasses. The female asked for identification, the individual did not produce any, then returned to his vehicle and left.

If anyone is unsure if they are being stopped by a real police officer, call 911 from your cell phone and the dispatcher will let you know. If you do not have cell phone, ask the Officer for identification.

If anyone has any information regarding these incidents please call the Stow Police at 978-897-4545.

The Maynard Police Department would like to offer our condolences to the Greenland, NH Police Department for the loss of their Chief, and to the surrounding communities whose officers were injured, in the line of duty.  Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, fellow officers, and friends.

On April 7th, the Maynard Police Department and the Governor’s Auto Theft Strike (a unit of the Massachusetts State Police) held a very successful vehicle identification number (VIN) etching session at the Maynard Police Department.

Over 50 vehicles were processed and the owners received a certificate entitling them to a 15% or more discount on their comprehensive auto insurance.  To make cars less attractive to thieves, the VIN number was chemically etched into the windows of the vehicle.