Ayer Police Patrol Officers Association

08/06/2026

Nine days left!

We still have tournament spots remaining for the first annual APPOA Co****le Tourney, Touch-a-Truck, and School Supply Drive.

📋 Be sure to sign up on our Google form if you’d like to participate in the Co****le Tourney! The winning team will take home $2,000! Register here: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSev0yBFpziwyv.../viewform

🎟️ We have some exciting raffle prizes to give away! Be sure to stop by our raffle tent to bid on items donated by our amazing community.

🍔 Piccolino's Restaurant will be on scene to make sure everyone is well fed with summer cookout essentials for the whole family.

🍦Juniper Farms Ice Cream and their famous truck will be hanging out with sweet treats for all.

📊 We are still seeking local businesses who would like to sponsor this event. If this would interest you, please email [email protected]. We’re excited to work with you!

📚 An important way to give back at this event is to bring donations of school supplies in time for back to school! Please bring new, unused notebooks, pens, pencils, binders, backpacks, calculators, etc. Feel free to contact us with questions!

We can’t wait to see you all at the Ayer Shirley Regional High School on August 15 at 4:00pm.

08/03/2026

During the week of July 20th, 2026, one of our members of the day shift was conducting traffic enforcement, focusing on excessive speeding on Sandy Pond Road by Sandy Pond Beach. As a result, a motor vehicle stop was made for speeding. During the stop, probable cause was developed that resulted in the arrest of a passenger of the motor vehicle. The passenger of the motor vehicle was placed under arrest after attempting to conceal a bag of suspected powdered co***ne in the view of officers. Upon a subsequent search of the vehicle, additional Class B substances were located in the passenger’s belongings that were packaged consistent with distribution.

The passenger was charged with:
1- DRUG, POSSESS TO DISTRIB CLASS B c94C §32A(a)- Class B of G.L. c.94C, §31, to wit: Crack Co***ne, in violation of G.L. c.94C, §32A(a).
2- DRUG, POSSESS CLASS B c94C §34 - Class B of G.L. c.94C, §31, to wit: Co***ne, in violation of G.L. c.94C, §34.

The total weight of Class B substance was 11.6 grams and contained individual packages for sale. The operator of the motor vehicle was issued a warning for speeding and released from the scene.

This incident highlights our members’ commitment to keeping our roads and our communities safe. Proactive traffic enforcement is crucial method officers use to ensure the safety of the motoring public, especially in pedestrian-heavy areas like Sandy Pond Beach. All subjects involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Photo credit: Ayer PD

08/02/2026

Have you ever heard of "The Pic"? That is the locals name for The Picolino Bar and Grill in Shirley. They have come on board as an event sponsor as well as providing catering selling burgers, dogs, and Italian sausage for a small fee with the proceeds going to our fundraiser. If you have never sampled The Picolino Bar and Grill this will be a great opportunity! Also if you have a local trucking company we want your trucks for our Touch a Truck segment of the event. Please message us directly if you would be interested in participating and help spread the word about your business.
We are also in need of teams for our co****le tournament, please tell your friends and get a couple of teams together to possibly take home the grand prize of $2,000.

08/01/2026

Happy Saturday!

We are just two weeks from the first annual APPOA Co****le Tourney, Touch-a-Truck, and School Supply Drive. We are excited to see our community come out and enjoy a fun family afternoon!

📋 Be sure to sign up on our Google form if you’d like to participate in the Co****le Tourney! The winning team will take home $2,000! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSev0yBFpziwyvUJUs5Lvb5wrZDrZptYsMR6X_V3-3qRgKGlzw/viewform

🎟️ We have some exciting raffle prizes to give away! The next 10 teams to register will receive 5 free entries into a raffle of their choosing.

📊 We are still seeking local businesses who would like to sponsor this event. If this would interest you, please email [email protected]. We’re excited to work with you!

📚 Part of this event is to gather donations of school supplies in time for back to school! Please bring new, unused notebooks, pens, pencils, binders, backpacks, calculators, etc. Feel free to contact us with questions!

We can’t wait to see you all at the Ayer Shirley Regional High School on August 15 at 4:00pm.

It’s time to toss some bags for a great cause! Join us on Saturday, August 15th for the Ayer Police Patrol Officer’s Association Co****le Fundraiser at Ayer Shirley Regional High School. 📋 Check-In: 4:00 PM 🎯 Bags Fly: 4:30 PM 📍 Location: Ayer Shirley Regional High School 💰 Entry Fee...

07/23/2026

Staffing Matters!

Last weeks six alarm fire on Columbia Street demonstrates the importance of adequate staffing. The Ayer Fire Department has a minimum staffing level of four full time personnel. This is maintained 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These four personnel work a 24 hour shift, followed by 72 hours off. Vacations and Sick Calls are filled by other members working overtime. The four on-duty members are supplemented by the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, and Fire Prevention Officer, who work a daytime, administrative schedule. When one of these three personnel takes a vacation or sick day, or must attend meetings or other commitments, there is no filling of their shift with another member. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, there is one per-diem day shift, which is filled by a member of the call department. Lastly, we have recently begun staffing an “Impact Shift,” which consists of two 10 hour shifts every day of the week to provide additional EMS coverage.

The Impact Shift is currently funded by an appropriation from the State Legislature that was awarded in the wake of the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center. The Impact Shifts began in early April, and have already proven enormously valuable in ensuring more complete coverage with our new, longer transports. The most visible example of this so far was last week’s six alarm fire. At the time the fire was dispatched, the ambulance was at Leominster Hospital with the two Impact personnel. Impact Staffing allowed Engine 2 to respond to the fire with a full crew of four firefighters. If we didn’t have the additional personnel afforded by the Impact staffing, the first arriving engine would have been woefully understaffed with only 2 firefighters. The effectiveness of a fire company is directly related to crew size, with four person crews being able to complete tasks more efficiently and in a safer manner than two or three person crews.

The state funding for the Impact Shifts is currently set to end on June 30, 2027. It is unlikely to be renewed. Since the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in 2024, our reality has been longer transport and turnaround times for both ambulances and the paramedic intercept vehicle. This means more hours per day that personnel are out of town, unavailable to rapidly respond to the next emergency.

Local 2544 urges all Ayer Residents to support the continuation of funding for the Impact Shift after June 30 2027. The additional staffing has already proven invaluable in day-to-day operations, and the impact it has on a major incident cannot be overstated.

07/19/2026

This past Wednesday on the 3-11 shift we experienced a text book example of the teamwork between patrol, dispatch, and EMS. The Ayer Shirley Regional Communications Center received a 911 call from a parent whose infant was choking and not breathing. Dispatchers immediately started infant choking protocols guiding the parent in an attempt to dislodge the source of the issue. Simultaneously police and fire were being dispatched to the scene. Shortly before responders arrived dispatchers heard the best sound ever, a crying baby who was now breathing.
First on scene was the patrol sector car that secured the scene and administered any additional first aid awaiting the medics who arrived moments later. Ayer Fire Department medics assed the infant and subsequently transported to the hospital.
It’s not often first responders know the conclusion of a medical emergency but in this case we got to close the book. Yesterday the family came to the station and delivered a very thoughtful thank you card for helping their family. We can’t express how much this kind gesture was appreciated.

07/15/2026

Just a little over 24 hours after Ayer’s first 6 alarm fire in recent history, the APPOA would like to extend its gratitude to our partners at the Ayer Fire Department, Shirley MA Fire Department, and the other 18 mutual aid agencies that responded to Columbia Street yesterday. Departments from as far away as Acton, Fitchburg, and Dunstable assisted, with no reported injuries to first responders or the residents. Unfortunately, one pet perished, but two others were saved. Our members secured the area and performed traffic control while crews worked the scene. Two of our Detectives also assisted the State Fire Marshal with their investigation.

Five members of the Ayer community have been displaced as a result of this devastating event. It is typical for the members of our community to support our neighbors in need. That being said, the APPOA is pledging to donate a portion of the funds raised at our August 15th fundraiser to the residents displaced by the fire. The greater the community support for our event is, the greater our ability will be to support those affected by this incident.

Please click the link below for more information:
APPOA Co****le Tournament, Touch-a-Truck & School Supply Drive - $2000 Grand Prize!
https://www.facebook.com/events/994969266483309


Photo credit: Jeffrey Jarrett Mayes

07/15/2026

Good morning all! In the weeks leading up to the APPOA First Annual Corn Hole Fundraiser, we are going to do a little weekly segment entitled "Did You Know?"
Our first installment of "Did You Know" is that the Ayer Police Patrol Officers Association is currently comprised of 13 patrol men and women, 2 detectives, and 9 911 dispatchers. In addition, there are 5 shift supervisors, the Deputy Chief, and Chief who are not members of the APPOA. These men and women fill 3 shifts daily, 365 days a year!

07/14/2026

Please avoid the area of Columbia St, Central Ave, and Newton Street as the Ayer Fire Department and multiple mutual aid agencies are on scene for a 3 alarm structure fire. The Ayer Police Department is on scene for traffic control.