PAX Centurion - Summer 2014

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • Summer 2014 • Page 11 R ecently, a troubling trend in the BPD has been noticed by many officers, both those who answer radio calls and the specialized units. Many of our drug, gang and detective units, who normally would be conducting in-depth investigations, have been “re-assigned” to make arrests – no matter how BS or minor the incident – to address so-called “quality of life” issues in the neighbor- hoods. The few remaining cops who answer radio calls have been told to “do more with less,” “write more tickets and movers,” etc., etc. Motorcycle officers have been overburdened by special events, es- corts, dignitary protection, parades, etc., etc. Complainers in various locales have wailed about finding “used condoms” and syringes on their streets, “kids smoking marijuana openly on the Com- mon” or about “bums and transients.” (Not my terms – taken ver- batim directly from a letter of complaint to the Mayor’s office.) Ahmm… for your information, good residents of Bos- ton… YOU made all of this possible. YOU voted to de-criminalize the possession of marijuana less than one – ounce (and if you think the cops carry scales to weigh what exactly constitutes an ounce, think again… we don’t know either). So obviously, the youths gathered on the Boston Common and other locations now smoke marijuana openly and without any fear of arrest. The MOST the police can pos- sibly do is issue them a civil citation for $100.00, and let’s face it – it’s the same as issuing a ticket for jaywalking. Since nobody in the United States is required to carry an ID, the most common names given to police who actually waste their time issuing citations for marijuana possession are John Doe, Joe Smith, and Mary Murphy. If you’d like to see how many of them actually respond to a summons or pay a fine, go check out public records in your local courthouse. If nothing else, it’s good for a laugh…. And, good citizens of Boston, did you know that possession of a hypodermic needle is no longer a crime, and hasn’t been for years. Yes, many years ago, the drug community activists succeeded in de- criminalizing what was then known as the criminal offense of “illegal possession of a hypodermic needle.” Today, activists openly pass out “clean” needles to junkies, and as far as the police are concerned, well…. We’re not supposed to judge whether they’re diabetics using the needles for insulin or stone-cold junkies shooting up heroin. (Of course we know, but the law doesn’t allow us to make a logical deci- sion anymore.) But once again, YOU, the voters of Massachusetts, through your elected representatives, decided that possession of a hypodermic needle was no longer a crime. And now you complain to the police about finding them in playgrounds and around schools. Hmmmm… so what is it that the police are supposed to do about that? And complaints about “bums and transients?” (Again, not my words… verbatim from complaints forwarded to us via City Hall.) Well, good citizens of the Commonwealth, many years ago, our vaunted judicial solons of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided that begging and seeking alms was a “protected form of free speech.” That is the reason why every major intersection in the City is inhabited by tag-teams of bums shaking cans and coffee cups in your face while you’re stalled at a red light. It’s not illegal to be home- Stats, stats, stats Quantity… not quality… is what matters now By James W. Carnell, Pax Editor less or to hang out in City parks. Of course, you won’t find these bums where the judges live, inWellesley or Weston or Brookline, but you’ll find them within 100 yards of the Pine Street Inn home- less shelter (which serves thousands of meals every day) where they carry signs saying they’re “starving and homeless.” (Another crime that was eliminated years ago – “sauntering and loitering” – thrown out by the courts…. It was a tool the police used against vagrants and ne’er-do-wells hanging around looking to engage in nefari- ous activity, but that one is gone too…). Many years ago, under the leadership of Deputy Supt. Bob Hayden (a great guy!) , an effort was made to eradicate the Boston Common of the many “bums” and transients who had taken it over. The officer assigned at the time, Paul Sullivan, made a valiant attempt. Soon, the homeless “advocates” (i.e: those who make their money by ensuring that the homeless never go away) complained, and guess who got transferred? That’s right, Officer Sullivan! And unfortunately, I often see stupid motorists handing them money, which will be used in short or- der to purchase alcohol or drugs, and then the police will be called to remove them from wherever they passed out, and so another unit is tied up transport- ing them to a shelter or medical facility so that some suburban nitwit can “feel good about themselves” handing the bum money. Thanks a lot, good citizen! How about putting one of the poor homeless in the back of your Volvo or Saab and taking them to your home in Concord or Newton?! You see, good citizens, elections and laws have consequences. YOU voted for these laws or voted for the people who enabled drug- dealers, “bums” and lawless youths to take over your streets. The police have been handcuffed, literally, by the choices that YOU, the voters have made. And most cops are simply not going to take the risk of being sued and having to answer to Internal Affairs complaints because they tried to clean up the mess that they’ve been handed by society. Look at Colorado: they legalized marijuana, and now they’ve been inundated by drug-dealers who can freely peddle their merchandise, even if they don’t have a state-issued license. (“Badges! We don’t need no stinking badges…”) And Coloradans are shocked… shocked!... to discover that thousands of out-of-state users have flocked to their state to purchase “medical” marijuana. Remember the scene from the classic movie “Casablanca,” where the local police chief says “I’m shocked, shocked to find that there’s gambling in Casablanca!”Yeah, don’t be… not when the citizens created the conditions where negative “quality of life” is- sues foster and grow. So the result is that our specialized units are not investigating crime anymore, they’re devoting their time to making BS arrests of minor, misdemeanor complaints which will be dismissed as soon as they get to court. And consequently, all of the 911 cars are tied up transporting prisoners and booking them, or guarding prisoners in hospitals who all of a sudden invent fake maladies so that they can spend the night in a nice, warm hospital bed instead of a cold jail-cell. So nobody is left on the street to answer calls. But if that’s what John Q. Public wants, that’s what they’ll get: Stats, stats, stats…