A Vision for Boston:
Questions for the 2009 Mayoral Candidates

Day 10: Public Safety

Is Boston safer than it was four years ago? How will you maintain neighborhood policing in Boston in a tight fiscal environment?

Response from Councilor Flaherty:

While statistics currently show less crime than in previous years like 2005, they do not tell the whole picture. Lowered statistics don’t change the fact that during the last sixteen years, over 1,000 families have lost a loved one to violence. Lowered statistics are not making residents feel any safer. That’s what I have continued to hear during my Kitchen Table Conversations tour where mothers have shared their concerns about the lack of police presence in their neighborhoods and lack of support services for families looking for intervention before its too late. Neighborhood policing, as currently employed, is insufficient and lacks foresight and strategic planning.

As Mayor, I will strengthen partnerships between the BPD and residents by decentralizing the BPD and empowering individual districts to collaborate with residents to develop neighborhood plans that meet the specific needs of their neighborhood. We must rededicate ourselves to community policing and capitalize on the latest e-policing technologies to better inform residents of criminal activity and also improve communication between our city departments through better data-sharing programs such as CitiStat. Through a more efficient use of our police resources, we can accomplish more without relying on additional federal monies or dangerous layoffs.