Coffee with A Cop Program at Rao's

Officer Carlos Gutierrez on the Coffee with a Cop Program

1st Monday of every month, 4:30 to 5:30 meet with Officer Marcus Humber or Officer Carlos Gutierrez to discuss neighborhood concerns, offer suggestions or ask questions.  Join Us at Raos Coffee!

On April 23, 2012 at approximately 11:45AM, investigators from the Amherst Police Department arrested Timothy M. Mahoney of Westfield. Mahoney was arrested at the United States Post Office on University Drive. The arrest follows an investigation completed in conjunction with federal investigators.


Mahoney was found to be receiving shipments of marijuana in the mail. On April 23, 2012 he received a shipment from California that contained multiple pounds of marijuana. He was stopped at the post office by Amherst Police officers and arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

Timothy M. Mahoney, Age 31 (photo below)
37 Miller Street
Westfield, Massachusetts 01085


Charge: Possession with Intent to Distribute Class D Substance (marijuana).   Mahoney was held in lieu of $5000 cash bail. He is expected to be arraigned this morning at the Eastern Hampshire District Court.

Amherst and UMASS Police Youth Adventure Academy 2012

***May 9, 2012 THE YOUTH ACADEMY IS FULL! HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR****


The Amherst and University of Massachusetts Police Departments are pleased to announce the dates of the Amherst and UMASS Police Youth Adventure Academy. 

The 2012, Amherst and UMASS Police Youth Adventure Academy is a ONE week program, being held Monday July 9, 2012 to Friday July 13, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Youths entering 6^th, 7^th, or 8^th grades are eligible to attend. 

 The cost is FREE and academy size is limited to 20 youths, so preference will be given to Amherst residents and UMASS affiliated families (ex. parent/guardian works or is a student at UMASS).  Similar to a Citizens Police Academy, students will attend morning classroom sessions held at both the Amherst and UMASS Police Departments.  The classroom sessions will feature lectures, role-plays, and interactive demonstrations by police officers, from both agencies, focusing in the areas of law, crime scene investigation, defensive tactics and patrol procedures.  Most afternoon sessions will be held at the Amherst Adventure Based Ropes Course at the Notch Visitors Center where we will promote teamwork, communication, and strategy development. 

 Additional information concerning the Amherst and UMASS Police Youth Adventure Academy is available on the Amherst Police Department website.  Applications may be obtained at the Amherst Police Department lobby, UMASS Police Department lobby or downloaded off the Amherst Police Department website. 

The application deadline is June 22^nd, 2012, so please don’t delay!  Questions regarding the Youth Adventure Academy can be forwarded to either Amherst Police Officer William Laramee at 413-259-3000 or via email or UMASS Police Officer Brian Kellogg at 413-545-9461 or via email. 

Amherst Police Department Awarded $55,000.00 Grant

The Amherst Police Department has received a $55,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS). This competitive grant is awarded under the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program, a grant program originating from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, and Bureau of Justice Assistance. The JAG Program provides Massachusetts critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution and court programs, prevention and education programs, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, crime victim and witness initiatives, and various planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. Of the 110 grants received by EOPSS, the Amherst Police Department was one of only 63 that were funded.

The Amherst Police Department will use this funding to hire, train and equip a part-time civilian crime analyst. The goal of this program is to prevent and reduce crime within the town of Amherst through the analysis of incident, traffic and call data. The analysis of the data developed by the crime analyst will be utilized to make strategic, tactical and long term decisions regarding staffing and deployment of personnel. The crime analyst will work closely to aid both the patrol operations and the detective bureau to accomplish the overall goal of reducing and preventing crime within the Amherst community.

“Due to the difficult economic climate, the police department is faced with fewer resources while activity levels have continually increased, and we hope that the implementation of intelligence led policing can improve our efficiency” said Chief of Police Scott P. Livingstone. “With the analysis of existing data and trends, we can make more informed decisions based on the data, thus we will improve our ability to problem solve and address crime and disorder issues within the town.”

While this grant award is for one year, the Amherst Police Department will be aggressive in identifying other state and federal grant programs that can extend the program beyond the twelve month period. The Amherst Police Department will immediately begin advertising for the part-time civilian advocate, and hope to have the position filled by June 1, 2012. Questions regarding this program can be forwarded to Captain Jennifer Gundersen at 413-259-3012.

Community Outreach with Sigma Delta Tau

The Amherst Police Department will be partnering with the members of the UMASS Chapter of Sigma Delta Tau sorority to educate off campus residents on the various town bylaws relating to noise and disruptive behavior. Amherst Police Officers and the Sigma Delta Tau sisters will be going door to door in the various apartment complexes and neighborhoods that house off campus housing, speaking to students and handing out flyers on the bylaws pertaining to Open Containers of Alcohol, Nuisance House and Noise Violations. The Amherst Police Department is very happy that Sigma Delta Tau has partnered with us on this project! This outreach event will happen on Wednesday April 11, 2012, starting at 7PM. Questions can be forwarded to Amherst Police Officer Bill Laramee or Sigma Delta Tau Community Service Event Coordinator Sara Beebe.