June 10, 2010

By Rick Winterson

Strong enforcement efforts continue in South Boston, with good results - South Boston continues to be one of the safest areas anywhere in metro Boston.  Emphasis is still being placed on drug- and alcohol-related offenses.

  In our May 20 issue (page 5), South Boston Online published a news release sent to us by the Community Services unit at South Boston’s Station C-6.  The release stated that the Drug Control Unit assigned to Station C-6 had investigated and apprehended four individuals on the evening of May 15 for “drug trafficking and distribution of Class B drugs”.  The successful investigation/apprehension ranged from Andrew Square to Castle Island.  Oxycontin pills worth $90,000 on the street and cash amounting to $4,000 were seized.

  Since then, the Police Report dealing with this incident has become available.  The Report states that at approximately 6 p.m. on May 15 (Saturday), the C-6 Drug Control Unit noticed an individual slowly walking a dog near Von Hillern Street and Dorchester Avenue.  The individual with the dog was carrying a shoulder bag.  This is a spot known previously for drug activity; walking a dog is a dodge frequently used as cover for a pending drug deal.  The man with the bag was met by a second individual driving a pick-up truck.  According to the Police Report, the second individual driving the pick-up truck had the appearance of a drug user/abuser.

  The two men drove off in the pick-up truck, taking a looping, circuitous route through South Boston and ending up at the Castle Island parking lot, where they stopped.  The man with the canvas shoulder bag got out of the truck, after making what appeared to be some kind of exchange. 

  The truck then drove off.  The Drug Control Unit called for assistance from a marked BPD cruiser, who stopped the pick-up truck.  After a struggle, the driver was arrested by uniformed officers.  They found a bag of 30 Oxycontin pills on him.

  Meanwhile, the man with the shoulder bag and the dog met two other men at the Castle Island parking lot.  They drove away in a Cadillac.  The Drug Control Unit followed, and called for a cruiser to stop that vehicle also.  The Cadillac refused to stop, and was finally cut off by a marked B.P.D. cruiser on Sixth Street.  The man with the shoulder bag bolted from the Cadillac.  He was brought to the ground and handcuffed after a violent struggle. 

  He, the other two men in the Cadillac, and the driver of the pick-up truck – four men in all – were taken into custody and booked.  Both vehicles were impounded for further investigation.  In total, close to $100,000 worth of Oxycontin and cash were seized.  This was a nice example of careful, observation-driven police work.

  Capt. Richard Evans, who commands B.P.D. Station C-6, stated early on that he’ll focus maximum effort on combating drug abuse in South Boston.  His reason for this is quite straightforward – well over half the crimes in South Boston are drug-related.  One positive step in this direction is a South Boston Community Program for safe medication disposal.  This will take place on this coming Saturday morning, June 12, from 9 a.m. till 12 noon in the Gillette parking lot.

  The safe medication disposal program is a partnership among Station C-6, CVS Pharmacy, Procter and Gamble-Gillette, and South Boston’s Hope & Recovery Coalition.  It will allow South Boston residents to dispose of unused or out-of-date medications under professional supervision.  Just mark out your own personal information, but leave the name of the medication visible.  As an added benefit, the unused medicines will be sent to a licensed incinerator, so none of them will be allowed to escape into the surrounding environment.

  South Boston’s beaches are under state jurisdiction; enforcement is handled by the State Police out of the Day Boulevard Barracks.  Recent issues concerning beach behavior led to a community meeting at Curley Center.  More rigorous enforcement of beach rules, especially concerning public drinking, was promised.  This seems to be working very well.  Certainly, the state troopers have been maintaining a highly visible presence along Day Boulevard and the bordering beaches over the past few weekends.

  The last Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) on June 2 was well attended.  In addition to discussing what has already been mentioned above, Capt. Evans reported that the woman assaulted on Gavin Way is expected to recover from her injuries.  Her assailant, variously listed as her husband or boy friend, was killed when he jumped from their apartment’s balcony.  Evans also spoke of the increased load on his staff, which is being caused by a rapidly expanding night-life “scene” on the waterfront.  The West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA) mentioned plans to upgrade the small park area by the Kelly Bridge.  The WBNA is holding an annual park fundraiser on Saturday evening, June 19, at 9 West Broadway.  Please consider attending.  The Community Services officers have several free summer camp scholarships available for youngsters (call 617-343-4747 to inquire).

  A couple from East Sixth Street attended the NAC meeting to discuss the ongoing public drinking and resulting disturbances in their neighborhood, caused by a group of twenty-somethings living nearby.  Noise at all hours, shouted obscenities, and public urination are among their complaints.  This issue had been brought up at Community Meeting, and a police crackdown has followed.  A young person from that neighborhood attended also, to see what he could do to help eliminate these problems.

  A quick count of frequently occurring “Part One” crimes in South Boston - robbery, assault, breaking-and-entering (B&E) – shows a definite pattern.  According to the last four weeks of Crime Logs from Station C-6, which listed 34 total Part One crimes, 25 (two-thirds of them) were B&Es into motor vehicles.  In 13 of those cases, GPS devices were stolen.  Other items stolen included gym bags, laptops, sports equipment, and cell phones.  The message:  Leave nothing in the passenger compartment of your car, including dash-mounted GPS devices, even for a few minutes.  Even though it’s extra trouble when you’re in a hurry, always lock everything away in your trunk.