Coronavirus: Reading Police Suspend Walk-In Services

READING, MA — The Reading Police Department is suspending walk-in services over concerns for the health of its staff and the public. There will no longer be walk-in services pertaining to fingerprinting, VIN checks, records requests, non-violent past offenses, medication drop-off, compost stickers, etc.

Resident stickers will no longer be available from dispatch. Residents must go to the second floor of the station and see one of the administrative assistants, Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check or exact cash only.

The Reading Police Department continues to monitor the COVID-19 Coronavirus, and is working closely with the Town Manager, Fire Department, Superintendent of Schools, Emergency Management Director and local public health officials.

The Reading Police Department will continue to respond to emergency calls but wants to limit face-to-face interactions wherever possible.

Please call or email the police department for any records requests. Records Division: publicrecordsrequestrpd@ci.reading.ma.us, 781-942-6769.

For firearm licenses that are going to expire, please email the Armorer at LTC@ci.reading.ma.us and you will receive an extension letter covering you during this hold period. Officials are asking new applicants to wait to apply until the COVID-19 situation is over. For those that are renewing, most steps in the renewal process can be done online or through the mail.

Walk-in service for non-emergencies is suspended and we ask that you call the police station instead. As a temporary change, non-emergency matters may be reported over the phone to 781-944-1212 and an officer will be assigned to follow-up with you. This applies to a variety of less serious offenses that are not in progress. In these cases, officers may utilize email for statements or photos needed for the report. As always, if reporting an emergency, please dial 911.

If it is determined that a response by an officer is warranted please understand that they are likely to keep a "safe distance" and unlikely to shake hands, etc. Again, this is out of an abundance of caution to keep our staff and the public safe and not an indicator of the officers’ friendliness or willingness to help.

Rest assured that help will be there for you as you would expect. Only temporary changes are being made to the way that services are provided, while being committed to the same excellent service that our community deserves.