Cambridge Police Department

What Cambridge Police Department does

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) is a municipal law enforcement agency serving the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and operating as a department of the City of Cambridge municipal government. Founded in 1859 and headquartered at 125 Sixth St., Cambridge, MA 02142, the department employs 152 staff and provides the full suite of municipal policing services: 24/7 emergency response via 911 (with TTY and Text-to-911 accessibility), criminal investigation, traffic enforcement, accident reporting, and records management. It operates a Transparency Portal, Data Center, BridgeStat monthly crime reports, and annual crime reports as accountability mechanisms. The department also runs specialized programs including a Family and Social Justice Section, the Blue Envelope Program for individuals with disabilities, youth volunteer and employment programs, senior citizen outreach, domestic violence resources, and business outreach services.

CPD's service portfolio is delivered through multiple channels — 911 dispatch, a non-emergency business line (617-349-3300), an online services portal, in-person headquarters services (Mon-Thu business hours, Fri half-day), neighborhood engagement teams stationed throughout the city, and anonymous tip submission via the Tip411 platform. Core partnerships include the Middlesex District Attorney's Office for prosecution, the Northeastern Police Academy for recruit training, and other City of Cambridge departments (Fire, Emergency Communications, Traffic) for coordinated municipal response. The department achieved Advanced Level CALEA Accreditation in January 2026.

CPD is a government monopoly on law enforcement within Cambridge city limits — no competing agency can exercise police powers in its jurisdiction. It is publicly funded through municipal budget allocations drawn from City of Cambridge tax revenues, with limited fee-based revenue from parking tickets, License to Carry permits, police report requests, and paid police detail services. Current leadership is Acting Police Commissioner Pauline Wells, following the tenure of Commissioner Christine Elow. The department's operating model is non-commercial: it serves a defined civic mandate rather than pursuing market share, and its accountability runs to the City Manager and City Council rather than to shareholders or investors.

Name

Cambridge Police Department

Legal name

Cambridge Police Department

Website

https://cambridgepolice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1859

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Cambridge Police Department is a municipal law enforcement agency serving the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, with 152 employees. It provides 24/7 emergency response, criminal investigation, traffic enforcement, community policing, and youth and senior outreach programs under a government-monopoly jurisdiction funded by the municipal budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Law Enforcement

NAICS

Police Protection (92212), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

akta.pro primary industry

Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

Keywords

• Municipal police services
• Law enforcement
• Emergency response
• Community policing
• Crime prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge, MA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Funded through municipal budget and tax revenues from the City of Cambridge

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Cambridge Police Department delivers municipal law enforcement and public safety services for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its core services include 24/7 emergency response via 911 (with TTY and Text-to-911), crime investigation and prevention, traffic enforcement, community policing programs, youth engagement, domestic violence support, License-to-Carry permitting, car seat inspections, and transparent crime-data reporting through BridgeStat and the Transparency Portal.

Product overview

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) is a municipal law enforcement agency providing a comprehensive suite of public safety services to the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The department operates as a unified service organization offering emergency response (911), report filing services, community engagement programs, and specialized units. Key service offerings include the Blue Envelope Program for individuals with disabilities, youth programming, crime prevention, domestic violence resources, senior outreach, business engagement, and an annual CALEA accreditation program. The department also provides transparent public access through its Data Center, Transparency Portal, and BridgeStat monthly crime reports, along with administrative services such as license to carry applications, car seat inspections, and towed vehicle lookup. The department utilizes Tip411 for anonymous tip submission and partners with SeeClickFix for service requests.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Response Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Middlesex District Attorney's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative law enforcement partnership with the Middlesex District Attorney's Office for prosecution and legal proceedings. Commissioner works with DA Marian Ryan on significant criminal cases including homicides and major felony arrests.
• Northeastern Police AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partnership for cadet and officer development. CPD collaborates with Northeastern Police Academy for recruit training, with 38 new officers graduating from the joint program in June 2026.
• City of Cambridge Municipal DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration with other city departments including Fire Department, Emergency Communications, and Traffic, Parking & Transportation for coordinated municipal services.
• Tip411supportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership providing anonymous tip submission platform allowing citizens to text crime tips to the department via 847411.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Securitas AB: Global private security services firm offering guard, patrol, and protective services to commercial clients — adjacent/parallel rather than directly competitive since CPD holds the government monopoly on policing powers in Cambridge.
• Massachusetts State Police: Statewide law enforcement agency providing overlapping patrol, investigative, and specialized response capabilities across Massachusetts; a broader incumbent that CPD coordinates with on major cases but does not directly compete with for local service delivery.
• Allied Universal: Large private security services provider offering manned guarding and patrol services to commercial and institutional clients — relevant as the leading private-sector counterpart to municipal policing for contracted protective services.

Direct peers

• Somerville Police Department: Municipal police agency serving neighboring Somerville, MA — operates within the same Middlesex County and Massachusetts governance environment with a similar population density and progressive civic culture, making service models and program choices directly comparable.
• Brookline Police Department: Municipal police department serving the adjacent Town of Brookline — comparable in scope, suburban-urban character, and community-policing orientation; directly relevant for benchmarking service delivery, accreditation status, and program design.
• Watertown Police Department: Municipal police department for adjacent Watertown, MA — a small-to-mid sized municipal force offering comparable patrol, investigative, and community services within the same state regulatory framework.
• Boston Police Department: Municipal police agency serving Boston, MA — a directly comparable peer operating within the same Massachusetts legal and municipal framework, providing similar 911, patrol, investigative, and community policing services to a dense urban population.

Regional players

• MIT Police Department: Campus-based law enforcement agency operating within the City of Cambridge and coordinating routinely with CPD on local incidents; comparable in function for a defined population subset and jurisdiction.
• Harvard University Police Department: University police department operating inside Cambridge with jurisdiction over Harvard-owned property and coordination responsibilities with CPD — comparable as a smaller, specialized law enforcement entity sharing geographic footprint.
• Middlesex County Sheriff's Office: County-level law enforcement entity operating within the same Middlesex County as CPD; provides overlapping court security, civil process, and some regional support functions but does not deliver municipal patrol services inside Cambridge.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridge-police-department

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Police Department