Gardner City, Worcester County, Massachusetts Crime Index

Gardner city is a partly recreational city in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Since 2016, the city has witnessed a consistent decline in recorded crimes. According to Massachusetts Crime Statistics, Gardner city had a total of 938 reported crimes in 2019, its lowest in 5 years. This figure accounts for 70 violent crimes, 338 property crimes, and 35 drunk-driving cases (OUIs).

The recorded violent crimes include

• No murders
• 13 cases of rape
• 8 robberies
• 49 aggravated assaults

The property crimes also include

• 61 burglaries
• 251 larcenies
• 2 arsons
• 24 motor vehicle thefts

Compared to 2018 which had a total of 1,027 reported crimes, Gardner city had an 8.67% decline in crime rates. However, for the 2019 fiscal year, Gardner city recorded an estimated crime rate of 4,547 crimes per 100,000 people.

Worcester County Superior Court

The Worcester County Superior Court serves Gardner city. The court has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters, including civil matters valued at over $50,000 and all felonies. The court also has exclusive original jurisdiction over first-degree murder cases and exclusive jurisdiction to convene medical malpractice tribunals.

Worcester County Superior Court is located at

225 Main Street

Worcester, MA, 01608

Phone: (508) 831-2000 (Clerk’s Office)

Phone: (508) 831-2370 (Probation Department)

Fax: (508) 798-3216 (Probation Department)

Email: Worcester.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us (Clerk’s Office)

Phone: (508) 831-2347 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (508) 752-8127 (ADA Accessibility)

Phone: 1-800-THE-JURY (843-5879) (Office of Jury Commissioner)

TTY: 1-800-328-3202 (Office of Jury Commissioner)

Email: JurorHelp@jud.state.ma.us (Office of Jury Commissioner)

Court’s business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

The Worcester County Superior Court conducts most of its business virtually, due to the covid-19 pandemic. The only people granted access to the courthouse, including court personnel, are those that

• are attending an in-person court hearing
• have a meeting with the probation officer
• are reporting for jury service
• have an in-person business with the Clerk’s Office
• have an in-person business in any publicly accessible office in the courthouse

Also, the court has categorized civil and criminal cases into virtual hearings and in-person hearings. The court may make exceptions for some cases as the situation demands.

According to the Superior Court Department Report for the 2019 fiscal year, Worcester County Superior Court recorded a total of 1,027 criminal cases in its case entries.

Gardner District Court

The Gardner District Court serves Gardner city. The court has jurisdiction over criminal matters, including city bylaw violations, all misdemeanors, felonies with a five-year maximum sentence, and other specific felonies with potentially higher penalties. The court also has jurisdiction over civil matters, including civil matters where the recoverable amount is likely not to exceed $50,000. The jurisdiction of Gardner District Court also extends to juvenile cases, housing cases, mental cases, and more. In 2019, Gardner District Court received case entries involving 1,178 defendants.

Gardner District Court is located at

108 Matthews Street

Gardner, MA, 01440

Phone: (978) 632-2373 (Clerk’s Office)

Phone: (978) 632-4276 (Probation Department)

Fax: (978) 630-3902 (Clerk’s Office)

Fax: (978) 630-2417 (Probation Department)

Email: cmgardnerdc@jud.state.ma.us

Phone: (978) 632-2373 x112 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (978) 630-3902 (ADA Accessibility)

Court’s business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

The Gardner District Court handles its business virtually and only hears specific cases in-person. The court is open for limited purposes and grants access to people who

• are attending an in-person event in the court
• have an in-person meeting with the probation officer or with a staff of the Probation Department
• have an in-person business with the court clerk

Also, the court limits the number of people that can be in the courthouse at a time. If the limit is exceeded, the court grants access in the following order

• Those who want to address an emergency
• Those participating in a scheduled in-person hearing
• Those scheduled to meet the probation officer
• Those who have a scheduled appointment within the courthouse
• All others

Anyone granted access is required to wear a mask, follow COVID-19 precautions, and follow all courthouse protocols.

Central Housing Court

The Central Housing Court - Leominster Session serves Gardner city. The Session is conducted only on Fridays, but it has no specific time. It is conducted only between the hours that the Leominster District Court is open and available on Fridays. The Central Housing Court has jurisdiction over residential housing matters generally, including matters bordering on the welfare, health, and safety of a residential building’s occupant. The court’s jurisdiction also includes civil actions involving property damage and eviction cases. Jury trials are held at Central Housing Court - Worcester Session, and all filings and correspondences for the Leominster Session should be sent to the Worcester Session.

Central Housing Court - Leominster Session sits at

25 School Street

Leominster District Court

Leominster, MA, 01453

Phone: (508) 831-2050 (Clerk's Office and Housing Specialists Department)

Email: CentralHousingCourt@jud.state.ma.us

Phone: (508) 831-2065, (508) 831-2066 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (508) 792-1170 (ADA Accessibility)

The Central Housing Court is open to the public for limited purposes and has virtual front counters to assist with inquiries. There are separate virtual front counters for the Clerk’s Office and the Housing Specialist Department.

Massachusetts Land Court

The Massachusetts Land Court serves Gardner city and has exclusive original jurisdiction over the majority of real property matters. The court’s jurisdiction includes handling matters relating to the registration of title to real property and attendant disputes. The court also shares jurisdiction with some courts over particular matters, such as the specific performance of contracts relating to real estate.

Massachusetts Land Court is located at

3 Pemberton Square

Boston, MA, 02108

Phone: (617) 788-7470 (Recorder’s Office and Virtual Recorder’s Office)

Email: LandCourt.Title@jud.state.ma.us (Land Court Title Examination Department)

Email: LandCourt.Survey@jud.state.ma.us (Land Court Survey Department)

Email: LandCourt.Emergency@jud.state.ma.us (Land Court Emergency)

Phone: (617) 788-7474 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (617) 788-8953 (ADA Accessibility)

Court’s business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

The Massachusetts Land Court handles the majority of its business virtually and provides a Virtual Land Court Recorder’s Office to assist with inquiries on case management and the court’s virtual processes. The Virtual Recorder’s Office is available from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Also, the Virtual Recorder’s Office is closed on legal holidays.

Fitchburg Juvenile Court

The Fitchburg Juvenile Court serves Gardner city. The court has jurisdiction over juvenile-related cases, including guardianship, adoption, delinquency, youthful offenders, and more.

Fitchburg Juvenile Court is located at

120 Elm Street

Fitchburg, MA, 01420

Phone: (978) 345-7620 (Clerk’s Office and Probation Department)

Email: worcester-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us

Phone: (978) 345-2111 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (978) 342-2461 (ADA Accessibility)

Phone: 1-800-843-5879 (Jurors only)

Court’s business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

Except for youthful offenders and delinquency bench trials, the Fitchburg Juvenile Court hears all cases virtually, to the extent practicable. Judges have the discretion to hear some cases in-person if necessary.

Worcester Probate and Family Court

The Worcester Probate and Family Court serves Gardner city and has jurisdiction over child support cases, divorce cases, custody cases, guardianships, among others.

Worcester Probate and Family Court is located at

225 Main Street

Worcester, MA, 01608

Phone: (508) 831-2200 (Register's Office and Probation Department)

Fax: (508) 752-6138 (Register's Office)

Email: wpfc@jud.state.ma.us

Phone: (508) 831-2203 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (508) 752-6138 (ADA Accessibility)

Court’s business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

The Worcester Probate and Family Court currently handles all court business virtually and only grants access to specific people. Litigants are advised to make use of the eFiling platform to file specific cases and only trials and evidentiary hearings may be heard in-person. The court has a Virtual Registry to assist with inquiries and provide guidance on the court’s virtual processes, case management, and court entry protocols. The Virtual Registry operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Massachusetts Appeals Court

The Massachusetts Appeals Court has general appellate jurisdiction over a wide range of criminal and civil cases decided by the trial courts. The court’s appellate jurisdiction extends to the final decisions of the Industrial Accident Board, the Appellate Tax Board, and the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board.

Massachusetts Appeals Court sits at

1 Pemberton Square

Boston, MA, 02108

Phone: (617) 921-4443 (Appeals Court)

Email: MacClerkMatter@Jud.State.Ma.Us (Clerk’s Office)

Phone: (617) 723-1533 (Human Resources Department)

Phone: (617) 725-8114 (Oral Argument Postponement or Cancellation Updates)

Phone: (617) 723-1502 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (617) 626-7906 (ADA Accessibility)

Court’s business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday

The Massachusetts Appeals Court is currently open to the public for limited purposes, and the court handles the majority of its business virtually. The court provides eFiling services to assist with the virtual filing of cases and reduce in-person visits. However, the court also provides a dropbox in the courthouse for individuals who prefer to hand-deliver their case filing.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in Massachusetts and serves Gardner city. The court has general appellate jurisdiction and reviews certain decisions of all other courts in Massachusetts, including the Appeals Court. The Supreme Judicial Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction over first-degree murder appeals.

Supreme Judicial Court sits at

1 Pemberton Square

Boston, MA, 02108

Phone: (617) 557-1000 (Supreme Judicial Court)

Phone: (617) 557-1140 (ADA Accessibility)

Fax: (617) 557-1052 (ADA Accessibility)

The Supreme Judicial Court conducts the majority of its business virtually. For assistance on the court’s case management and virtual proceedings, individuals may contact the relevant Supreme Judicial Court Office.

Mount Wachusett Community College

Mount Wachusett Community College’s main campus is in Gardner city, located at

Mount Wachusett Community College

444 Green Street

Gardner, MA, 01440

In 2018, there were 4 reported crimes, including one aggravated assault and three burglaries.