Author: Sicheng Che

  • Needham Police write fewer traffic tickets than neighboring towns

    Needham Police write fewer traffic tickets than neighboring towns

    Credit: Needham Observer

    Needham police issued fewer citations in 2025 than any of three neighboring towns, state transportation data shows. 

    The Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s online citation database shows the Needham Police Department recorded 2,089 traffic violations and issued 1,706 citations in 2025. More than half of the violations fell into three categories: failure to stop or yield, using electronic devices while driving, and driving an unregistered vehicle. 

    Under Massachusetts law, “violations” are defined as breaking state or local traffic laws, while “citations” are the printed documents — including warnings — issued to drivers by police who pull them over for violating the laws.

    In 2024, the department recorded 2,148 traffic violations, according to its “Year-End Review Crime Report,” so last year saw a slight year-over-year decline.

    By comparison, Wellesley tallied 5,720 citations and 6,692 violations; Dedham recorded 5,067 citations and 5,480 violations; and Westwood logged 2,907 citations and 3,406 violations, MassDOT data shows. Needham had the fewest of the four. 

    Lt. John McGrath of the Needham Police Department said the town’s officers encourage driver education over punishment.

    “I think we just look at using education and not a punitive measure, which can affect somebody’s insurance. It’s a little bit more expensive beyond just a simple money fine,” McGrath said in a phone interview. “So we really push the ‘get out there, stop cars, educate the drivers, and positive interactions’ with the public.”

    More than 70% of citations in Needham are warnings. A written warning still generates a Massachusetts Uniform Citation, but is marked as a warning and does not affect insurance rates. Verbal warnings are not tracked in the database. 

    In comparison, around 80% of citations in Wellesley are warnings, while the numbers for Westwood and Dedham are 82% and 94%, respectively. 

    However, when comparing the number of violations with the population of each town, Needham still logged the lowest amount of violations on average, with only about 65 violations per 1,000 residents, while Westwood had 209.4, Dedham 216.1, and Wellesley 226.4, based on dividing the MassDOT data by each town’s 2020 U.S. census data. 

    Credit: Sicheng “Chris” Che

    Massachusetts drivers whose infractions lead to fines for violations pay 28% more for auto insurance than other drivers, ranking the state among the highest in the nation for citation-related rate increases, according to a 2025 Bankrate study. 

    McGrath, a member of the town’s transportation safety committee, said the education-oriented initiatives work in conjunction with the town’s Department of Public Works and residents to identify locations with the most issues. While the DPW implements measures to make those locations safer, the police department enforces traffic laws and educates drivers who break them.

    McGrath said the department’s total traffic stops last year roughly matched those of Wellesley and Dedham, though MassDOT does not track that figure.

    Not everyone in Needham agreed about how well its drivers and police department are performing.

    “I think that they need to use their turn signals more,” said Teddy Waltzman, a 16-year-old who had gotten his driver’s license two weeks earlier.

    Waltzman said it’s smart to use citation data to inform how traffic laws are enforced, but other residents expressed mixed feelings about traffic in town. 

    “I get frustrated a lot because sometimes some of the crossways, they are not well maintained, just like one of the intersections here,” said Mak Patel, a clerk at the 7-Eleven on Highland Avenue, motioning to cars lining up outside. He said traffic at the intersection near his store would improve with better planning and management by the town. 

    Patel, originally from New Jersey, said Needham’s streets are easier to deal with than the thoroughfares back home, even though Needham police had pulled him over several times “for a little bit of speeding.”

    “For a few parts of town, they are really vigilant. Right next to my store, they’re always here looking around for people who are speeding or doing something like that,” Patel said. He rated Needham’s police an 8 out of 10.

    “I think for the most part, people are pretty courteous in terms of allowing people out from side streets and things of that nature,” Needham resident Catherine Hogan said. “I just think people need to slow down and not run red lights.” She said the police should write more tickets.

    McGrath, the Needham police lieutenant, said he isn’t sure that would help.

    “It seems like people seemed pretty fixed on their routines. I think just being visible can help, can help deter that, ” he said. “On the other side of the coin, if you heavily enforced [traffic laws], there are people who are just as upset that you’re out pulling every other car over.” 

    McGrath, a Needham native with nearly two decades of law enforcement experience, said the initiative was holistic and could make streets safer by enlisting residents, the DPW and local businesses into the effort. 

    “It’s going to be this initiative with working with our stakeholders, the DPW, even maybe storefronts, are looking at different ways you can make the town easily accessible without increasing traffic volume to just bring speeds down and keep people safe,” McGrath said. 

    This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership between the university, the Needham Observer and other news organizations in the Boston area.

  • North Hill seeks approval to expand

    The North Hill senior living community off Central Avenue is seeking town approval to build a 44-unit expansion of its campus to help address its years-long waiting list, according to documents filed with the Planning Board. 

    Joe Frias, CEO of the 600-resident nonprofit facility, appeared before the Planning Board at its Jan. 6 meeting because building the new four-story addition will require a zoning amendment. 

    “Over the course of the next 25 years, as the baby boomers continue to age and they need more housing, there’s not enough inventory out there,” Frias said last month. “We currently at North Hill have just about a three-to-four-year waitlist just to get into the door.”

    The expansion would require a zoning amendment and modifications to parking requirements, according to documents filed with the town. North Hill is Needham’s only “full continuum-of-care” provider — a facility that offers both long-term senior care and independent living, Frias said. 

    “We’ve identified some opportunities for growth and continue to meet the demand,” he said.

    North Hill plans to build the expansion on the southwest corner of its property.

    The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the zoning amendment at its Feb. 24 meeting. The fate of the zoning will ultimately be decided at Town Meeting in May. 

    Patricia Cusack, director of sales and marketing at North Hill, said it is too soon to answer detailed questions about the expansion, including building designs, costs and the impact of construction.

    Steve Volante, co-owner of Volante Farms adjacent to North Hill, said the senior living facility has been a great neighbor. 

    “It does seem like (North Hill) has been consistently growing over the past decade, so I’m not surprised in any way that they’re continuing that expansion,” he said.

    Several North Hill residents also support the expansion. 

    “I think it’s a good idea. We need more housing, and it would be financially useful for North Hill,” said Anne Weaver, a North Hill resident.

    North Hill’s creation followed years of zoning battles. In 1979, Town Meeting opposed zoning changes that would have allowed 59 acres to be converted from single-family homes to a mixed-use development. The original plan for apartments failed miserably.

    Babson College later proposed building 375 units for people 55 and older. That project, now North Hill, passed the Planning Board with one dissenting member and narrowly survived a Needham Town Meeting vote, despite pushback by residents concerned about traffic and other issues. 

    There are traffic concerns about the expansion, too.

    “I can’t imagine any more (traffic),” said Revel Cotsford, a Medway resident who frequently drives to Needham to shop at Volante Farms. 

    Volante said he welcomes more cars. 

    “Any increase in traffic in the sense of cars passing through, and any increase in additional residents in the area … that’s a good thing for us,” he said.

    Some North Hill residents, including Leila Kern, aren’t worried about construction noise.

    “Will it disrupt us a little bit? Of course it will,” Kern said, “but you’ve got to take a little bit of the pain to get the gain.”

    This story is part of a partnership between the Needham Observer and the Boston University Department of Journalism.