Letter from District A-1 Captain Tom Lee to the Residents of the North End

The following letter is from District A-1 Captain Tom Lee to the residents of the North End in response to the issues raised at the April 5, 2012 North End Public Safety Meeting (See Angry Residents Erupt in Chorus of Complaints About Lack of Police Presence). The letter is also posted on BPDNews.com.

Dear North End community members,

As a result of our discussion at the North End Public Safety Meeting on April 5, 2012, I would like to take this opportunity to update all of you on the progress made as part of our ongoing efforts to advance public safety and address quality of life concerns in the North End.  As part of this process, it is equally important to keep all of you informed and to provide you with a list of initiatives that are currently ongoing:

• Community members will continue to experience an increased uniform presence throughout the North End particularly in the areas most affected by noise complaints.

• A two officer walking patrol has been added on Hanover Street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 11:45pm to 3:45am focused on noise and public disorder complaints.

• Officers have made one disorderly arrest, issued three city ordinance violations and have been consistently advising individuals to respect and be mindful of residents by keeping the noise volume down.

• Community Service Officers are keeping in close contact with local universities and colleges to address any issues involving the student population. We are working with the universities to identify students who may be contributing to noise concerns by participating in late night parties. Our partnership with Suffolk University includes a weekend ‘noise patrol’ where officers are accompanied on patrol by a Suffolk University administrator which results in the swift identification of students as well as academic repercussions.

• Officers have initiated a new program which includes follow-up visits made by Community Service Officers to all addresses responsible for loud party complaints. Officers then identify both the tenants and the landlords to inform them that a second violation will result in officers seeking criminal complaints in court for ‘Keeper of a Disorderly House’.

•  Officers continue an open dialogue with elected officials to review all properties subject to noise complaints resulting in appropriate outreach to the landlords.

• The Boston Police licensing unit continues to closely monitor establishments related to any community disturbances and has issued multiple violations since the last public safety meeting. The licensing unit has issued one violation to a Hanover Street restaurant for overcrowding. The unit has issued one violation to a Salem Street liquor store for selling to a minor and failure to monitor the entrance area where underage students were loitering. In addition, the students involved in this incident have had criminal complaints filed against them in Boston Municipal Court. The unit has also issued one violation to a Salem Street restaurant for failure to disperse patrons in a safe and orderly manner after hosting a gathering of students who created a loud disturbance resulting in several 911 calls. Another Hanover Street restaurant was issued a violation due to a valet issue. A Commercial Street restaurant was issued a violation for amplified music and noise emanating from open windows and doors. Lastly, a Salem Street bakery was cited for serving food past 1:00am, a violation of license requirements.

The success of our efforts depends upon your ongoing participation and your commitment to a safe community. We look forward to our ongoing collaboration.  Our goal is to keep the neighborhood safe and address the quality of life issues that are affecting our residents.

We invite you to become part of the BPD Virtual Community by visiting BPDNews.com for up-to-date public safety information and important community alerts. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

I encourage you to contact the A-1 Community Service Office at 617-343-4627 with any concerns and feedback.

Best Regards,

Captain Tom Lee