BOSTON PUBLIC SAFETY

Boston Public Safety



Boston Public Safety

Introduction

Overall, property and violent crime in Boston declined by 8.4%-, or 2,632 incidents, between 2007 and 2008, continuing to decline into 2009 and extending a steady drop since the last peak in 2001. However, citywide averages obscure a sharp increase in youth violence and homicides in geographic “hot spots” for which new policing practices and a new public-private initiative have been launched such as StreetSafe Boston , a $20 million partnership targeting youth and particularly gang-related violence, even in the face of tightening budgets. In terms of other threats to public safety—from exposure to environmental toxins and terrorism to disease pandemics—the City of Boston has greatly increased coordination internally and across geographic and institutional boundaries. (www.cityofboston.gov)

Public Safety sector of Boston

Boston's public safety sector consists of criminal justice and public law enforcement agencies representing all levels of federal, state and city government--from federal Homeland Security officials to state supervised youth workers to Boston police officers and firefighters. It also includes many community- and faith-based organizations that work in alliance with the public sector to promote safety such as the Dorchester Youth Collaborative Project RIGHT the TenPoint Coalition the Ella J. Baker House and Roxbury Youthworks.

The City of Boston is within the jurisdiction of several Suffolk County law enforcement offices. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office has teams of attorneys, advocates and investigators in 9 district and municipal courts, with 8 in the City of Boston. The District Attorney's Office has specialized units to handle some cases including those that involve child abuse, sexual assault, elders, juveniles and gangs. Most felonies committed in Boston are tried in Suffolk Superior Court and most serious crimes committed by defendants under age 17 are adjudicated in the Boston Juvenile Court. Cases are appealed to the Massachusetts Appeals Court or the Supreme Judicial Court. Other Suffolk County law enforcement offices include the Sheriff's Department and the House of Correction. (boston.areaconnect.com)

Headquartered in Lower Roxbury, the Boston Police Department —the oldest in the nation—operates 11 neighborhood stations. The Boston Fire Department is the oldest professional fire department in the country, providing emergency medical, fire and educational services. In recent years, it has also become a lead agency on chemical, biological and radiological defense and preparedness for large-scale natural disasters or terrorist acts.

State public safety departments include the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety, the Massachusetts Department of Correction, the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services and the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, which protects children from violence and neglect . Federal agencies such as the US Departments of Justice,Homeland Security,Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Environmental Protection Administration,US Coast Guard,US Attorney's Office and the FBI all provide essential public safety and emergency-management services through local or regional offices, most of which are located in Boston. (Gershkoff Richard 2004)

Finally, programs such as Northeastern University's Institute on Race and Justice and College of Criminal Justice and Harvard University's Kennedy School and Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, and area hospitals such as Children's Hospital Boston,Massachusetts General Hospital,Beth Israel and Brigham and Women's are essential partners in the city's public safety efforts...