Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesser-known — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (aka blotters) in our suburbs.

FOLLOW THE FOOD

Earlier this month, a hungry raccoon hitched a ride on the back of a garbage truck as it headed down Main Street in Tewksbury. With the help of the truck’s driver and Tewksbury police, the animal control officer was able to get the critter to safety.

HOSTAGE SITUATION

Speaking of raccoons, just before 1 p.m. April 30, a Juniper Road man called Lynnfield police to report that one was stationed on the roof and wouldn’t let him leave his own house. Officers responded and found the culprit on the roof, all right — asleep. An officer managed to wake the animal from its slumber, and it moseyed away.

CAUGHT IN A JAM

Three unlucky people in Beverly recently found various portions of their anatomies trapped in spots they couldn’t break free from, with police and firefighters riding to the rescue. The first instance occurred April 23, when a woman got her hand stuck in a fence on Hale Street. The police and fire departments responded and managed to free her fingers. Four days later, police were sent to free a child’s foot that had become lodged in a crib on Highland Avenue. Then on the evening of May 13, police were notified that a rotting floor had given way at an apartment on Balch Street, and someone’s leg had become lodged. According to the police log, the victim was uninjured, and the housing authority was notified to fix the floor.

ODD THEFTS

At 3:28 p.m. April 27, Beverly police received a report that a hearing aid had been stolen at a nursing home on Brimbal Avenue. Oddly, the device belonged not to a resident but a woman visiting her brother. She removed it at some point during her stay, then found it gone when she went to retrieve it. On May 6, a Quincy resident called police to report that $15 worth of cans, presumably empty ones, had been stolen from his porch. Another low-value item was reported stolen May 20 in Peabody: a five-year-old trampoline “with holes in it,’’ according to the Glenway Avenue woman who alerted police. In Milford May 23, there was a pricier theft — an electric chain saw. And then in this oddest of political years, there were two more instances of what’s become a recurring theme of late: the theft, or perhaps vandalism, of Donald Trump campaign signs from front yards, first on Conant Street in Bridgewater April 29, then on North Worcester Street in Norton May 17.

UNWANTED VISITOR, OR JUST A FIGMENT OF THE IMAGINATION?

At 5:16 a.m. May 19, a Hilltop Drive resident called Beverly police to report that a prowler had entered the home and “was now sleeping upstairs.’’ Police responded but found no sign of such an intruder, and the caller, after chatting with officers for a spell, eventually conceded the visitor might have dropped by in the dream world only.

WAKE UP

At around 1:30 p.m. May 14, a Hudson Road resident called Stow police to report hearing an alarm sounding at his neighbor’s house. Officers responded and found an alarm was indeed sounding — an alarm clock.

FARM ANIMALS ON THE MOVE

Returning to the animal side of the blotter: Not long before 6 a.m. May 19, Hopkinton police received a call about three miniature ponies roaming around the area of Smith’s Mill on Wilson Street. The animal control officer located the owner, who retrieved the animals. A similar situation popped up the very next morning in Northborough, with similar happy results. In this case, police asked the owner to retrieve some property wandering about on Whitney Street — loose cows.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.