Governor meets with law enforcement leaders in Brockton

By Maureen Boyle
Enterprise staff writer

BROCKTON— Gov. Deval Patrick pledged Thursday to help police deal with gun-toting criminals by putting more cops on the streets as well as other ways to deter crime.

“Some of that may mean more money,” Patrick said.

The governor and his anti-crime council met behind closed doors for two hours with dozens of police chiefs, lawmakers and prosecutors to discuss crime trends in the state and what can be done to address the problem.

Patrick said repeat offenders — often gang members — and guns on the street were two key concerns pressed by the chiefs.

“More access to guns and guns of greater firepower,” are concerns Patrick highlighted after the meeting at the Massasoit Conference Center.

Kevin Burke, state secretary of public safety, said there is now money for 50 new officers in the state. How that cash will be distributed should be announced in the upcoming weeks, he said.

Patrick said he also wants to look at prisoner re-entry programs and what can be done to curb recidivism.

He said he and the chiefs discussed which programs work, which don't and who is touched by crime.

“I think we have started a very important dialogue of what works and what doesn't,” Patrick said.

Overall, crime is down but there are areas of concern, particularly in smaller cities where there are fewer police officers and cash is tight, several chiefs said.

State Sen. Robert Creedon, D-Brockton, who was at the meeting, said the message to the governor was clear.

“It's putting more feet on the street,” Creedon said.

The Massachusetts Major City Chiefs, along with the Police Executive Research Forum and the Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysts prepared a 27-page report for the governor detailing the crime trends in 24 communities.

The study compared the first six months of 2006 with the same span this year and found 52 percent of the communities examined saw a decrease in total crime, but many smaller communities with populations under 50,000 saw increases.

Brockton saw an 11 percent decrease in total crime, but it ranked first on the list of crimes per 1,000 people. The city also saw a 10 percent decrease in total violent crime but ranked second in violent crimes per 1,000 people.

Quincy saw a 10 percent increase in total crime and ranked 20th in crimes per 1,000 people. That city also saw a 2 percent increase in violent crime in the six month span and ranked 16th in violent crime per 1,000.

Other communities reporting increases in violent crime included Arlington, Woburn, Everett, Revere and Cambridge. Framingham reported a 23 percent drop in violent crime during the six-month span.

“They are reflecting national trends,” said Charles Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

Brockton Police Chief William Conlon said he was stunned when he first saw Brockton topping the list of overall crime per 1,000 residents and second in violent crime.

But crime overall is dropping and, by year's end, Conlon said he expects the initial year spike — sparked in part by a cluster of homicides early on — will level off.

Brockton homicides tripled for the first six months of this year — from two to six. However, the increase so far this year is much narrower — nine homicides in 2006 compared with 11 so far this year. Five involved domestic violence, including one case where a man killed his wife and daughter.

The numbers, however, are helpful in spotting trends and identifying what areas should be examined closer, Conlon said.

Daniel O'Leary, president of the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs, said the chiefs were encouraged by the discussion with the governor.

“We are all on the same page,” he said.

State Rep. Geraldine Creedon, D-Brockton, said the discussion was thoughtful and detailed the issues communities are facing.

“The police chiefs came out and said, 'we really need more money,'” she said.

Brockton Mayor James Harrington, who also attended the meeting, said he hopes the governor will come through.

“They are looking for more resources,” he said.

Maureen Boyle can be reached at mboyle@enterprisenews.com.