Catching a church robber, cracking down on disruptive parties and an attempted robbery at the 7-11 were the highlights from this month’s NEWNC Public Safety meeting. Attending from the Boston Police, District A-1, were Captain Bernard O’Rourke, Sergeant Thomas Lema and Officer Teddy Boyle (pictured left to right above).
Church “Poor Box” Robber Caught – Police reviewed the latest information on the arrest of a suspect believed to be responsible for the recent robbery at St. Leonard’s Church, among others in the city including St. Stephens on Hanover St. and St. Anthony’s Shrine in Downtown Crossing. Read more about this story.
On November 30th at 1:55 am, there was an attempted robbery with a knife at the 7-11 convenience store on the corner of Hanover St. and Commercial St. The convenience store clerk reports a male suspect walked into the store, displayed a knife and demanded money. At this time the suspect became nervous and fled on foot. Bike officer Valdez was in the area, unaware of the robbery in progress but noticed a male entering a illegally parked car that he had just issued a parking citation. Later, after responding to the robbery and hearing the match of the male he saw leaving the area, the car registration was broadcasted all out and the suspect was stopped on I-93 North, identified and arrested.
Loud Party Update
Sgt. Lema reported that there were 30 complaints made to 911 regarding loud parties in the last 30 days. This category also includes gang activity and fights but in the North End, parties are the primary issue. Two repeat addresses were noted: 38 Fleet Street and 140 Prince Street. Regarding the latter, neighbors report the “whole building was out of control.” The landlord has been notified by the police.
A reported loud party occurred last week at 125 Fulton St. involving 25 students. Police followed some students out of the party and later detained four of them for underage drinking and drug possession. Two of the students were locked up overnight and the others were given warnings. The colleges were notified and suspension hearings are expected.
Disruptive noise incidents were noted at 84 Prince Street and 24 Cooper Street. In some cases, police note that young professionals are responsible, not just students. Young professionals are less cooperative because the risk of being thrown out of school does not exist.
Captain O’Rourke discussed the problem in a broader sense, highlighting the well-publicized loud parties at the Ritz-Carlton condos on Boston Common which he described as having a “dorm-like” atmosphere. Police have resorted to more overnight lock-ups to dissuade such activity.
The police are limited in holding party-goers charged with “keeping of a disorderly house” to just overnight. However, when brought to court, judges can be more severe with longer detentions and penalties.
Overall Crime Reports Up Year-to-Date, Down From Last Month
As shown in the charts below, overall year-to-date crime statistics are still up in all categories although down from recent months. Car break-ins were up last month with 11 reports. The GPS devices are very tempting. Police continue to advise car owners to remove or hide valuables in their car.
Sergeant Lema reported that officers have intensified “Code 19s” on the night shifts also known as “walk and talks.” Focus areas include streets where prior assaults have taken place as well as known loud party areas.
Shoplifting has not been a problem in the holiday season so far, according to police.
Giving Back to the Community
Over Thanksgiving, police helped two families in the North End with turkey and all the fixings, as well as several others throughout the A-1 district. In their annual turkey giveaway, over 400 birds were donated to residents. Officers are planning a similar program for Christmas. A-1 Police will also be at the Mayor’s Trolley Tour this Sunday at 2:30 pm and at the Christmas Parade on December 12th. See the calendar for more detail.
The next NEWNC Public Safety meeting with Boston Police will be Thursday, January 6, 6:30 pm at the Nazzaro Center, 30 N. Bennet Street. (Ed: These public meetings with the A-1 Boston Police are a great opportunity for neighbors to take part in the well-being of the neighborhood (and they are interesting!). I highly recommend attending.)
