PAX Centurion - Fall 2016

Page 10 • PAX CENTURION • Fall 2016 617-989-BPPA (2772) See Front Line on page 12 F irst of all I would like to thank your leadership and the editors of the Pax for allowing me to be printed in your publication. First thing I would like to voice my opinion on is the “Boulevard of the Broken,” also known as the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. This area is an absolute horror show littered with garbage, and heavily populated with drug users and panhandlers. Through no fault of the Boston Police Department, the panhandling in this area has gotten out of control. This intersection has thousands of motor vehicles passing through it on a daily basis making it a lucrative and desired spot to stand and panhandle. A few years ago, a federal court ruled that panhandling is a form of protected speech, making it very difficult for police and other agencies to deal with the problems and complaints that arise from it. With homeless shelters and methadone clinics there is also a large number people in a small area suffering from drug and alcohol addictions as well as mental health issues. In the past, many people who were suffering from these afflictions would have been hospitalized in one of the state’s mental hospitals. However, the state began a “deinstitutionalization” program in the 1980’s, leaving many of these mentally-ill people with nowhere to go when they needed help. People were placed on the street with no treatment, no source of income, and no place to live. When help is needed for these people, the first number people call is 911 and the police are required to respond. These calls are for various issues, including but not limited to finding places for homeless to stay in the harsh weather, people with mental health issues causing traffic problems, and overdoses. Over the past year, all officers in the Boston Police Department were issued Narcan and are expected as a first responder to administer this to anyone who is thought to be overdosing on heroin. We have all responded to the call for a heroin overdose and as we know the opioid epidemic is in full swing. Our legislators, rather than deal with the problem have determined that Narcan should be free to all who want it. While I do not disagree with Narcan’s life- saving powers, I think that the legislators should realize that many of these people need mental health treatment and not just a hit of Narcan. Many people who suffer from drug addiction also suffer from other diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health issues. With the closure of the state’s mental hospitals, dealing with this problem has become incredibly difficult. Many of these people need to be placed in a facility where there are doctors, nurses and other trained mental health providers who can actually treat these people. There have been instances where a person has overdosed, police, fire or EMS has administered Narcan, they’ve been transported to a hospital for the evaluation period, released and then hours later overdose again. I know police who have also responded to calls for an overdose, Narcan is administered and the person wakes up extremely angry that their high has been ruined. These people need help that is beyond the scope of a police officer’s job. I am not saying that state hospitals’ are the cure-all to all of society’s woes and everyone should be institutionalized but there has to be some middle-ground of treatment. Andrew Square to Mass Ave. and Melnea Cass Blvd. looks like zombie-apocalypse with addicts and pan-handlers hanging around and begging in the streets. What a way to showcase our city! When you exit the Mass Pike or I-93 and on the sides of the road you see tents, boxes and shanty towns set up. Police Officers on the front lines of social work? By Sergeant Detective Thomas Pratt, Former BPPA Treasurer A sub-city within the city causing traffic and scaring tourists! I do feel sympathy for the people who look on-line and then rent a room at either of the hotels in the immediate area and when they arrive; “BOOM”: reality check. It is also not fair to the hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in that area who pay commercial property taxes and have to put up with the problems of their guest’s cars being broken into, their dumpsters being raided and guests being tormented by pan- handlers. Anyone working in B2, C6, D4 or Headquarters knows nothing beats sitting in traffic after a hard day’s work than seeing a group of homeless persons smoking weed, drinking, listening to some tunes on a generator, while they rest on a mattress that they pulled out of dumpster. I don’t want this to sound funny but this actually happens. The amount of calls for EDP’s is incredible. The district units are tasked to deal with the problem, wagons and sector cars are spending more time being social workers than they are looking for law violations. The common theme around these calls across all districts are drugs, alcohol, and mental disorders. The city council wants to propose an added 2% tax on alcohol sold in the City of Boston with the money collected from this going directly to rehabilitation. I think if they were to enact something like this a part of the proceeds should be allotted to Police, Fire and EMS because of the time spent on overdose calls, emotionally disturbed persons, pan handling, and the other calls that are directly linked to the above problems. This revenue can be directly given to public safety for hiring, training and the purchase of safety equipment. So in closing on this topic I would just like to thank the federal court for crafting a decision that inhibits the enforcement of public disorder laws and our state legislature for sticking their heads in the sand. With mental health and drug addiction, Narcan is not the cure-all. Why do we give out free Narcan, when Epi Pens are $600.00 a set, with all of the allergies floating around today we should be giving them out. I would be remiss if I did not mention that it should be incumbent that the addict take responsibility for his or her actions also. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Next on the agenda will be somewhat of a repeat from my past Pax article; the lack of bodies and sworn personnel within our department. I am not positive but I have heard that the department has only been allotted a class of 65 recruits for this upcoming class. This number is way too low; especially with our current attrition rate. The fire department has also been allotted 65 recruits and that is good for them. The differences between the two groups is that probably a third of the police recruits will drop out and zero fire recruits will drop out from their academy. I cannot figure out why the city council cannot come to a realization that this is going to happen and raise the number of the recruit class to a hundred or better. The district commanders are screaming for bodies and the forced ordering has not stopped yet and it is well past Labor Day. Unless something changes within the next month or two, a class of 65 going into a six month academy will not change anything, and the amount of ordering done this spring/ summer/fall will just continue next spring/summer/fall. The city along with the department need to realize that two classes of over 100 recruits need to be added to the rank and file to take