Sherborn Police Warn of Recent Residential Break-Ins

The Sherborn Police Department has been involved in two recent investigations involving residential break-ins and subsequent larcenies of property from two homes in within Sherborn.

One incident occurred on Washington Street several weeks ago and resulted in the arrest of two individuals as the result of the efforts of an established Task Force that had been tracking the two supsects. The Sherborn Police Department assisted the Task Force in apprehending the individuals while they were still located on the victim's property. The Washington Street incident occurred during the daytime while the homeowners were not home.

The second incident occurred on South Main Street. We are actively investigating this incident utilizing all available resources to include the Massachusetts State Police. We have strong leads in this investigation and hope to apprehend the person or persons responsible. Because this is an active investigation we cannot share what we have learned as a result on the on-going investigation. However, much like the Washington Street incident, the South Main Street incident occurred during the daytime while the homeowners were not home.

These incidents do not appear to have been committed by the same individuals.

We would like to alleviate some fears that residents have shared with the Sherborn Police Department and asked for the community's assistance and cooperation. Sherborn has been and will continue to be a safe community; you professional police officers are extremely active in the community with the goal of providing for a safe community. However, we need our community members to share in the responsibility of maintaining the safety, well being, and quality of life we all enjoy. Your police department is asking you to be aware of suspicious persons and vehicles that you observe in your neighborhoods, and MOST IMPORTANTLY CALL the police department and make us aware of your observations and concerns. We are here to serve you. Your police are members of the community and we must work together.

Lastly, we want to address a very important safety issue regarding our children who may be at home while Mom and Dad are running errands. The types of break-ins that have been common within the region involve one or two persons who typically knock on the door of a home. If the resident answers the door, the suspect may claim they are lost and need directions, they may ask if a ficticious person resides at the home, or use numerous bogus reasons for being at the home. It is when there is no answer at the door that the suspect(s) may pull on the front door to see if it is secure or go to a another entrance to the home and see if that door is secure and then attempt to make entry into the home. These criminals are opportunists who want to commit their crime as quickly as possible and leave the area without being detected. For these reasons, we suggest three important crime prevention strategies:

1. LOCK YOUR DOORS - These criminal opportunists want to get into a home quickly and do not want to be detected. They do not want to call attention to themselves by breaking a window or breaching a doorway because of the associated noise and the possibility of being detected by a neighbor.

2. CALL THE POLICE - If you encounter a suspicious person who comes to your doorway and their "story" doesn't add up, CALL THE POLICE. We want and need to be notified of these incidents so we can identify these individuals and provide a level of comfort and security to our residents.

3. MOST IMPORTANTLY - If your child is home alone please educate your son and daughter that they should keep the doors locked while you are out. Instruct them to go to the door if someone knocks on the door ir rings the doorbell. Instruct them to NOT open the door but to tell the person at the door that your mom and dad are busy and to come back later. Tell your children to CALL THE POLICE. We are encouraging your children to call 9-1-1 if they are fearful of the persons at the door to your home. We will respond immediately. We do not want your son or daughter to be put in a situation where a criminal enters the home believing nobody is in the house. Please instruct your children to CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY.

Residents are encouraged to call 508-653-2424 with any non-emergency questions or concerns.