Brookline MA Police Department

09/01/2026

Congratulations to former Deputy Superintendent of the Brookline Police Department and now CHIEF of the Westwood Police Department, Russell O’Neill who was sworn in front of the PD, members of the Select Board and Town leadership.

Chief O’Neill was an incredible leader within the Brookline Police Department and is an enormous loss to our organization.

Thank you, Dep for all you did for BPD-you’ll be sorely missed. We wish you the best of luck.

09/01/2026

The first day of school is Thursday!

Remember, back to school means more children, buses, bicyclists, and crossing guards will be on our streets.

As students return to school, please do your part to keep everyone safe:

🛑 Slow down in school zones
🚌 Stop for school buses when required by law
🚸 Watch for crossing guards and children crossing the street
📵 Put the phone away and stay focused on the road
🚗 Leave a few minutes early to avoid rushing

Brookline Police Officers will be out helping ensure a safe start to the school year.

Let's work together to make every student's trip to and from school a safe one.

Here's to another fantastic school year!

08/31/2026

Detectives are asking for your help in identifying this individual who may have been involved in a a larceny over $1,200 in Washington Square.

The subject is described as a white male, approximately 6ft tall, wearing a white shirt, cargo shorts, white sneakers. Appears that the suspect may have a long lanyard with a key at the end of it. Last known on Beaconsfield Rd.

If you recognize this person, detectives are asking you contact them at 617.730.2243. He is not wanted at this time.

08/30/2026

SUNDAY SAFETY TIP: Beware of Rental Scams

With the influx of aprtment seekers in Brookline we'd thought we'd use this weeks Sunday Safety Tip to warn you about apartment scammers.

Scammers may pose as landlords, property managers, or realtors and post fake rental listings on legitimate websites and social media platforms. A convincing listing doesn’t necessarily mean the property, or the person offering it, is legitimate.

Before sending money or personal information, remember:

🔹 DO
• View the apartment in person before sending any money.
• Research the landlord, property manager, and/or realtor.
• Perform a reverse image search on photos used in the listing.
• Be extremely cautious when using Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App. Verify exactly who you are sending money to.

🔹 DON’T
• Send payments by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer.
• Pay for an apartment tour.
• Trust a rental price that seems unusually low for the area.
• Provide personal information until you are confident the listing and landlord are legitimate.

🚩 If something about a rental listing doesn’t feel right, slow down and investigate. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to pressure you into making a quick payment.

Taking a few extra minutes to verify a rental could save you from losing hundreds or thousands of dollars.

08/29/2026

BPD would like to wish a very Happy 9th Birthday to Bear!

Brookline Police Department's comfort dog "Bear" is a highly trained service dog who is eager to meet the people in the community. We appreciate his service and look forward to many more smiles, as he looks forward to some birthday treats!

Happy Birthday, Bear! Thanks for all you do!

08/28/2026

A friendly reminder that this weekend is a busy move-in weekend for our college neighbors!

BPD will have officers assigned to specific areas of the town that may require attention in order to assist motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Our goal is to minimize the inconvenience that movers can cause and maintain safe roadways.

If you have an issue that needs to be addressed by an officer, please contact our business line 617.730.2222 and we'll have an officer respond.

On behalf of our college and university partners, we thank you in advance for your patience.

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day!

BPD celebrates our four-legged officers who go above and beyond every day for the citizens of Brookline. Bear, Mack and Kemba offer unique police skills to support BPD's mission. Thank you guys, and "good dog."

HISTORY: National Dog Day was created in 2004 by Colleen Paige, a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate. She created this day so that all dogs can be celebrated and also to draw attention to the number of dogs in shelters and to encourage adoption to those who have yet to find a place to call home. August 26 is significant to Colleen because it is the day her family adopted her Sheltie when she was 10 years old.

Since the first celebration in 2004, National Dog Day has grown and is now celebrated across the world.

To spread the word further, those that oversee the holiday have joined forces with many rescue partners, including The Human Society of The United States and West Coast Labrador Retriever Rescue. Together they draw attention to the number of dogs that are without a home and try to actively encourage people searching for a dog to visit an adoption shelter instead of a pet store.

Since the first day back in 2004, it is estimated that approximately one million dogs have been saved through adoption in the U.S. For dog owners that aren’t looking to add to their family, National Dog Day has become a day for treating their friend like the legend they are and enjoying the connection that we’ve built up with dogs over thousands of years.

National Dog Day has also been using its platform to encourage dog ownership of all breeds, mixed and pure, and continuously pushes for all dogs to be allowed to live happy and abuse-free lives.

08/25/2026

Reposting this SCAM ALERT as we've seen an uptick of callers contacting residents pretending to be a Brookline Police Officer and demanding payment to avoid being charged or arrested. Please DO NOT EVER attempt to pay a fine by using a Crypto kiosk. Those are notorious for scammers and once money is sent via crypto it is very difficult to trace or recover.

If you are ever contacted by someone who claims to be a Brookline Police Officer (or any other law enforcement officer) and says you owe money, hang up and call us at our main number 617-730-2222 and confirm that you are speaking to a legitimate law enforcement official. If anyone asks you to go to a crypto kiosk to make a payment, you are definitely not speaking with a person in law enforcement and someone is trying to scam you. You work hard for your money; please don't give it to the scammers!

SCAM ALERT! If you get a call from anyone who claims to be law enforcement threatening you with an arrest if you don't PAY, you may be the target of a scammer.

The U.S. Marshals and FBI reports they are hearing about this scam on a daily basis and there have been a large number of these calls in Massachusetts. You may get a call from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal, court officer or other law enforcement official.

During the call, the scammer will attempt to collect a fine under the threat of arrest due to a claim of identity theft, failing to report for jury duty or other minor offenses. They’ll say you can avoid arrest by withdrawing cash and transferring it to the government by depositing it into Bitcoin ATMs.

Scammers are very convincing. They’ll provide you with a badge number, names of law enforcement officials and judges and courthouse addresses. They will spoof the phone number so it appears on caller ID as if it is coming from a government agency or the court.

But remember, the U.S. Marshals Service will never ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, bank routing numbers or ask you to make bitcoin deposits for any purpose. And, you should never divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.

If anyone is asking you to send your money anywhere, you should assume it’s a scam. Take your time verifying the information by calling these agencies directly with phone numbers you locate yourself on their verified websites.

If you believe you were the victim of this scam, you are encouraged to report it to Brookline Police 617-730-2222 and/or the Boston FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/boston and to the FTC here: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ #/

08/25/2026

Don’t Give Thieves an Easy Opportunity

Vehicle break-ins and thefts are often crimes of opportunity. Taking a few simple precautions can help protect your vehicle—and the valuables inside.

-Lock your doors every time, even when you’re only stepping away for a moment.
-Remove valuables from your vehicle or keep them out of sight.
-Park in a well-lit, secure area whenever possible.
-Never leave your vehicle running unattended.

A few seconds can make a big difference. Secure your vehicle, protect your belongings, and don’t give a thief an easy opportunity.

08/24/2026

BPD was proud to once again offer our Summer Youth Program to students entering 7th and 8th grade!

The staff of the Community Service Division were sad to watch our amazing group of 2026 students leave after what can only be described as the best “work” week of the year.

During the week, participants got an inside look into the department and were introduced to our four police divisions: Patrol, Traffic, Detectives, and Community Service. Students were also visited by our partner agencies such as the Brookline Fire Department, Coastal EMS, as well as visits from other law enforcement agencies.

We experienced the fun of Boda Borg Escape Adventures and a productive visit to Canobie Lake Park, which I assure was “all business!”

On the 5th and final day of our Youth Summer Program, our participants were visited by the Massachusetts State Police Air-wing Unit and learned about search and rescue operations from the sky!

We then ate burgers and dogs provided by the Brookline Police Union and prepared by our Elder Affairs Officer Mike Disario. We finished the week with fun activities at Larz Anderson Park including a police K9 demonstration by Officer Brian Gallagher, lawn games and team building activities.

Again, thank you to everyone who helped make our week so special, and we hope to be able to do this again next year!

With gratitude,
Your friends at the Brookline Police Department