To many residents, it has appeared that there has been an increase in high-profile violent crimes in Norwood in the past few months, sparking concern about public safety in the community.
Many Norwood residents are alarmed because of the recent uptick in high-profile crimes.
“I think the recent uptick in crime is really sad because I grew up in Norwood, and I don’t remember this ever happening when I was here, so it’s just sad to see,” said Alanna Callahan, a gym teacher at Norwood High School. “I’m concerned for my family and students’ safety.”
It’s not just adults who are concerned about the recent crime; students are also growing increasingly worried.
“The amount of crimes is just surprising to me, and like, it’s concerning to me. It makes me nervous,” said Kylie Letourneau, a senior at Norwood High School.
Since September 2025, Norwood has experienced an unusual surge in alarming crimes, many of which involve juveniles. On September 9, an armed robbery and shooting occurred on Irving Street in Norwood. Norwood Police arrested three juveniles involved in the robbery on October 21 after an “extensive investigation by Norwood Police detectives,” said @norwoodpolice via Instagram.
On December 19, Norwood Police arrested a juvenile on multiple charges in connection with a shooting that occurred at an intersection between Woobine Road and Columbine Road on September 24.
“My concern is why it’s happening more frequently now and why I feel like most of it is juvenile activity,” said Alanna Callahan.
Though juvenile activity may seem alarming to many, many of the incidents happening in Norwood are targeted.
“Most of these crimes are not random. They are intentional towards a certain person or target,” said Norwood High School Resource Officer John Rooney.
Almost always after crimes occur like these, Norwood Police communicates with the public through social media apps like Instagram and Facebook.
“I think most of what I’ve seen is that they’re communicating with the town really well online,” said Callahan.
On December 1, Norwood Police Chief Christopher Padden sent out a statement to Norwood Residents via Instagram and Facebook regarding crimes involving firearms in Norwood, a direct response to the public’s growing concern about their safety in Norwood. The statement was attached to a graph, which visualized the rate at which different types of crimes have increased and decreased in recent years.
“Currently, Norwood has seen an increase in certain types of crime that we are not used to seeing here, and that are specifically alarming to the public,” said Padden.
Again, Norwood Police continue to emphasize that these crimes are not random and are targeted towards a specific individual.
“It is also important for the community to understand the nature of these events,” said Padden, “While the recent headlines may be alarming, these incidents do not represent a generalized threat to the public. They are not connected, they do not involve an organized group, and many were situations where the individuals involved were already engaged in illegal activity themselves.”
Though these crimes are (mostly) not targeted, Norwood Police recognizes that these crimes can be very alarming to some people.
“When a crime does occur like that, obviously our investigation and making sure we tend to victims and people who are nearby, to make sure everything is okay, is the first priority,” said John Rooney, “My top priority is making sure everyone here is safe at all times.”
The Norwood Police Department requests that any suspicious activity be reported to them.
“If you see or are made aware of anything suspicious that could get somebody hurt, could lead to somebody getting hurt, please let an adult know. If you’re not comfortable speaking to police, just letting a staff member know about it [is] probably the biggest thing that we can ask for. And again, we don’t want people walking around being scared,” said Rooney.
For emergencies, call 911. To report any suspicious activity, please call the Norwood Police Department at (781) 440-5100.
