PAX CENTURION • Summer 2017 • Page 1 Quincy College Partners with BOSTON POLICE WE ARE YOUR STATE CERTIFIED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
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PAXCENTURION The Newsmagazine for the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association Saluting Fallen Boston Police Officers See Pages 12-19 The Boston Police Memorial at Mount Hope Cemetery, Mattapan Summer 2017 www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • Summer 2017 • Page 1 Quincy College partners with BOSTON POLICE WE ARE YOUR STATE CERTIFIED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION We offer you and your officers quality classes that qualify for educational incentives. • Guaranteed scholarships for BPPA members • Quincy College instructors bring police offering affordable classes and quality experience and service into the classroom. instruction. • Majority of prior college credits accepted. • Flexible schedules available: day, night, • Criminal Justice program is a 2-year online, and Saturday classes. associate degree program incorporating • We are a military friendly campus that Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology and provides veteran services and benefits. Professional Writing courses; which can then be transferred to a 4-year institution. AN EDUCATED OFFICER IS AN INFORMED OFFICER. For classes beginning in July, August, and September, contact me today to get started. BILL FINN POLICE LIAISON FOR QUINCY COLLEGE [email protected] 617-405-5930 Page 2 • PAX CENTURION • Summer 2017 617-989-BPPA (2772) A Message from the President: Patrick M. Rose, BPPA President Don’t let the job consume you this summertime ummertime is upon us and with that we all know that sixteen or reluctance of those in authority to accurately predict the need for hour days, along with six and seven-day work weeks will more Police Officers before they retire, before they quit, before they Sbe the norm for every Patrolman in the City of Boston. get injured and are forced off the job. Our ranks are stretched way too It was refreshing to hear the Commissioner at the most recent thin. The number of Patrolmen actually working the street patrolling Academy Graduation speak of the responsibility that each one of is at an all-time low. It costs a lot of money to train and field a Police us, wearing the uniform, have towards being there for our Family. Officer and no one anywhere is throwing money at the City or the The Commissioner spoke of not allowing the job to consume us, Department to hire additional help. The City of Boston, under new that we should force ourselves to be there for the First Communions, leadership, has finally recognized the fact that we need hundreds of the Graduations, the Birthdays and yes – the Anniversaries, etc. He more Patrolmen working the streets. The old way of doing business spoke of how many hours this job consumes of your life and the with the ‘bean counters’ attempting to balance everything through sacrifices that come with it. He reiterated that Family MUST come ordered overtime, etc. has come back to haunt them. We are working first, beyond all else. I only hope that his Command Staff remembers our Patrolmen to death, people are taking early retirement, no longer those words when one of our members is forced to use a ‘benefit’ waiting to be forced out and they are now leaving in record numbers. to be there for their family. I can only hope that his Commanders This Union has attempted to mitigate the current situation by remember those words when a member of the BPPA asks for a swap getting legislation passed and a law enacted to allow a ‘Reserve or to utilize an earned day off. To be there Police Force’ within the City of Boston, for our families sometimes requires us to staffed by retirees to help with Paid Details not be there for every parade, every public It costs a lot of money to train and and increasing our uniformed presence on function, every public event and yes, every field a Police Officer and no one the streets of the City with absolutely no sports playoff game. As refreshing as it anywhere is throwing money at cost to the taxpaying citizens. The BPPA was to hear the content of his speech, I the City or the Department to championed this fight and won by having recognize that this job can get in the way of the Law enacted. It is up to the City and anything, I do however remain guardedly hire additional help. The City of this Department to organize and field optimistic that the Commissioner’s words Boston, under new leadership, that reserve force. We did OUR part! will resonate down through the ranks. Only has finally recognized the fact As a matter of fact, fielding this reserve time will tell! that we need hundreds of force would generate millions of dollars How did we get here? Why is it that of revenue for the city through the 10% we are so shorthanded with fewer and more Patrolmen working the surcharge to contractors for the reserve fewer Police Officers available to take the streets. The old way of doing detail Officers. That money can be used calls; forcing our members into unwanted business with the ‘bean counters’ for anything, including hiring additional overtime shifts? It is no secret that certain attempting to balance everything Police Officers. Any story to the contrary politicians have made it their life’s work is not true! This Union has been warning destroying community/police relationships. through ordered overtime etc. the City for years that they would be losing In the past eight years alone, we have has come back to haunt them. hundreds of Officers during these next been villainized and portrayed as the couple of years, strictly based on their enemy to the public by a pandering press and some morally deficient hiring practices of the past, in addition we foretold of the number of politicians. Any single event involving a Police Officer is blown out Officers that would start to retire upon eligibility, instead of waiting of proportion and portrayed by a willing media to be the norm instead for age 65 based on the increased work load and the hours they were of the aberration that it most likely is. The constant ‘beat down’ by being forced to work. Until the current Mayor accepted this fact our our political figures, the media and left-wing zealots has decreased warnings had been ignored. Hopefully it is not a case of too little too the amount of young men and woman willing to enter this profession late. The Mayor has already funded a class of an additional hundred exponentially. Coupled with the increased work load – whether it’s recruits to start the Academy on August 7th of this year, however that working the parades and demonstrations keeping order, Community number, along with the recent graduation of 56 men and woman, outreach within policing, the war on terrorism, the increased need for would only hold us status quo for another year. The reality is, the security everywhere, the need for ‘specialized units’ that take away chance of actually putting 100 quality recruits into the Academy by from the Patrol force, the fight against drugs, the multiple roles we August 7th is somewhat suspect, graduating that number is fiction. now play in society or dealing with people within a social structure Speaking of the Academy; it’s about time that this Department that seems to have shifted to an accepted practice of questioning demand a new Police Academy facility. The building on Williams authority at every turn; regardless of the outcome, has become very Ave. in Hyde Park has definitely outgrown its usefulness. Over the taxing on us. Officers are being physically and mentally worn down, next decade, the City is going to have to have classes of up to 100 thus becoming more susceptible to injury. Yes, it is a different job and at a time just to keep up with the turnover. That facility, which was those are just some of the reasons people no longer step up and come built as a grammar or middle school, will not handle it. We must looking to join this profession. Couple all of that with the ignorance See President on page 9 www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • Summer 2017 • Page 3 The Nation’s First Police Department PAXCENTURION INSIDEtheINSIDEthePAXPAX Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, Inc. Don’t let the job consume you this Boston Emergency Medical Technicians summertime 3 SJC upholds Arbitrator’s decision regarding Boston P.O. Dave Williams 20 295 Freeport Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02122-3513 Phone: 617-989-BPPA (2772) • Fax: 617-989-2779 • www.bppa.org BPPA demands more complex, time-consuming, frustrating, non-user-friendly computer system 21 & 22 Union Printworks Volume 47, No. 2 • Readership 125,000 Dedication of the new police boat Summer 2017 25 BOARD OF EDITORS Boston’s TOP COPS honored Patrick M. Rose, President Michael F. Leary, Executive Editor 28 Michael F. Leary, Vice President James W. Carnell, Managing Editor Christopher J. Broderick, Secretary Mark Bruno, Assistant Editor PREVENTABLE CRIME: Our choice – Robert P. Colburn, Treasurer Ed McCarthy, EMS Editor Murder, rape and robbery or civil rights BPPA Historian Robert E. Anthony, for ILLEGAL aliens? EMS Officers James Orsino, President Len Shubitowski, Secretary 30 & 31 Vice President Treasurer Robert Morley, Anthony O’Brien, BPPA members “Buzz Off” Thomas Binall, Chief Steward for cancer research BPPA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 32 & 33 AREA A M.O.P. Matthew Carey • Brian Cameron Otis Harewood • Richard Stanton BPPA 2017 Golf Tournament James Carnell • John Connolly HEADQUARTERS 52 - 55 Kevin Golden Robert Luongo • Matthew Morris Gerard Boyce • Paul Downey Vaden Scantlebury ACADEMY / RANGE AREA B EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT EDITORIAL POLICY Luis Anjos • Daniel MacIsaac William Shaw 1. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Boston Police Joseph McDonough • Israel Marrero HARBOR Patrolmen’s Association.