PAX Centurion - Summer 2017

Page 40 • PAX CENTURION • Summer 2017 617-989-BPPA (2772) Summer observations, random thoughts, current events… By James W. Carnell, Pax Editor P ERSONNEL SHORTAGE/MANDATORY-OVERTIME/ RETIRED OFFICERS/UNFILLED-DETAILS, SPECIAL EVENTS, ETC.: DON’T BLAME THE BPPA… The BPD wears this missed opportunity, 100%, despite their efforts to place blame anywhere but the responsible source. As most are aware, the BPPA worked long and hard two years ago to secure the home rule (city council) and (state) legislative approval needed to begin an auxiliary police force consisting of fully trained and medically approved retired Boston Police Officers to work the slew of existing, unfilled extra detail assignments and fill special events for a short-staffed, beleaguered police force. It was then up to the BPD to institute the policies, procedures, rules and regulations to govern this proposed auxiliary force of reserve officers, which exists to serve the manpower needs of most police departments quite nicely in some 176 other Massachusetts cities and towns. In many other towns, the reserve/auxiliary officers handle the overflow of special events which occur mostly during the spring, summer and fall seasons, such as parades and concerts. In Boston, retired officers could conceivably handle events such as baseball games and concerts at Fenway Park, which are currently unfilled and are being farmed out to private security concerns (a looming problem, fraught with legal concerns for the BPD, as any officer with street experience already knows.) Many other events, such as road races, marches, and events on City Hall Plaza, could have been filled by retired officers willingly and voluntarily on a detail basis, providing relief to regular duty officers. BUT NOOOO… Somebody dropped the ball, or somebody’s nose was out-of-joint because of “who” was/was not getting credit, or somebody’s relative or friend wasn’t getting a job, or …whatever the given excuse or reason. Bottom line is… no such auxiliary force exists in Boston as of Summer 2017, even though the tools to allow it are firmly in place. Maybe an initial increase in retirements would have occurred, as feared and is/was to have been expected, as some “eligible-to-retire-anyway” officers took advantage of a mutually- beneficial opportunity to continue to make money, while the city took advantage of their virtually “free” training and experience AND made a 10% $$$ administrative fee-added for the city coffers from that detail assignment. But the BPD/City should have foreseen that possibility and planned accordingly by hiring aggressively and adequately over the last two years. So now they look like MAD magazine’s poster child, Alfred E. Neuman, with the “What, Me, Worry?” look on their collective faces as we at the BPPA rightfully say “We told you so.” Petty vindictiveness and small-potatoes, “who gets the credit?” politics is, apparently, firmly in place at BPD headquarters and City Hall. City Councilor Mike Flaherty had the foresight and wisdom, along with the BPPA leadership, to see the current situation developing and accurately predict what we are dealing with today, which is a short-staffed, overworked, tired and frustrated patrol force overwhelmed with calls for service and ordered to fill minimum-manning requirements via mandatory, forced overtime shifts. “ToldYa’ So,” is a proper and 100% correct BPPA response; proper planning prevents personnel problems, and yes, if the cliché fits, wear it, BPD. ARMEDATTACK ON BPD OFFICERS DISAPPEARED QUICKLY FROMMAJORMEDIA, DIDN’T IT?... July 2 nd , in “New England News Briefs” inside page B2, a very brief mention about a man “later identified as one Kristopher Jordan, 30, of Dorchester who about 12:34AM early Saturday morning, July 1 st , who began shooting at police – for no apparent explanation, motive, cause or reason whatsoever – as they were attempting to arrest a third party on unrelated charges at Deering Rd. andWellington Hill St. in Mattapan. The officers, fortunately, were not injured, and arrested the fly larvae ( notice how I’m curbing my use of the vernacular for reasons of political sensitivity?) after a foot chase. But the entire matter disappeared from any mention in the major media as quickly as would a passing mention of yesterday’s weather, as if the incident constituted the typical “Well, it’s part-of-their-job, isn’t it?” attitude that has come to be expected from the smug, elitist, spoiled young frauds who comprise the majority of modern “journalists.” Sadly, we can almost be assured of the same watered-down, come-to- be-expected treatment from the alleged justice system when it comes to this-and many, many other incidents of assault on police officers. (I can still remember the famous words of then-BMC “Judge” Mark Summerville as it related to anA&B on police officers many years ago: “ they should expect a little “hurly-burly” in police work,” [paraphrasing from memory, or words to that effect] or when Judge Summerville said to (then) Officer, now Sgt. (A-7) Mike Charbonnier that a North End man would have been within his rights to use deadly force to [repel/remove/resist] the police because they had “invaded his castle” by responding to a call from his wife alleging domestic violence. Things have certainly not improved over the years, and (at least as far as I can see) have only gotten worse. I can only shake my head and marvel at the incredible restraint shown by the outstanding officers of the BPD gang unit. BLUE LIVES MATTERWEBSITE EXPOSES “JOURNALIST”ASA FRAUD: For your summer enjoyment, go to the “Blue Lives Matter” website and read the story about the Columbia, Mo. Tribune newspaper columnist (“Ol’ Clarkie”, a self-described liberal) who wrote a completely FAKE news story about being stopped by a Boone County, MO. Deputy for a moving violation. “Ol’ Clarkie” wrote that he felt threatened by the female deputy and then wrote that “he knows how minorities must feel.” His recollection of the incident was proven false by the Chief Deputy’s release of the dash-cam video, which clearly shows the female deputy- a military veteran recently home from active service – to be unfailingly polite and professional during the entire, routine and mundane incident (watch the 10-minute long video for yourself, posted on the Blue Lives Matter website). What the incident does expose is the innate, ingrained hatred that liberal reporters have for all police in general, and how he thought he could get away with his lies because of his power as a newspaper columnist. See Observations on page 61