Dorchester community responds to spike in crime

Dorchester is no stranger to crime. Residents take in headlines like "Man Shot to Death on Pleasant Street" and "Two Assaulted in Savin Hill" on a daily basis in the local paper. It has a reputation as the roughest part of Boston. 

But Boston police officials met with a local civic association recently to outline tougher police measures they are taking in Dorchester and assure them crime has dropped in the last year, despite an unusual spike last month.

The Columbia-Savin Hill monthly civic meeting focused on the community's concerns about recent crimes committed in the neighborhood that have received a great deal of media attention. Meeting officials and guest speakers worked to reassure the community of stability and diffuse fears about crime.

"It's not perfect but it is better than it has been in the past, and I promise to you, you will see things get better in Dorchester," said Lt. Billy Flemming of the MBTA.

According to The Boston Police Department, there were 66 documented incidents in and around Dorchester since the last civic meeting on Sept. 12, a slightly higher number than usually reported. Police described many of the crimes to inform residents at the meeting about when and where crime was occurring. The list included 12 people charged with drug sales between Sept. 15 and Sept. 25, three violent sexual attacks, a mugging at the JFK MBTA stop, a murder on Abbott Street, and the shooting of two teens on Geneva Avenue.

Despite the figures, Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association President Anne Riley remained optimistic. "We've worked together as a united community and learned from these incidents," she told an audience of about 60. "The people have really come together recently to be involved with our police and public officials and address the problem."

Representatives from the Boston Police, the Neighborhood Watch Division, the MBTA Police, the UMass Police, the State Police, and District 3's city council candidates John O'Toole and Frank Baker all spoke at the gathering to discuss recent events, safety tips, the police's response, and what the community can do to help. Overall, the buzz word of the night was "proactive".

"These things happen anywhere you go, and the most important thing to do is to be proactive about it instead of reactive," O'Toole said. "Dorchester as a community has done that and will continue to play one of the most critical roles in helping to solve the issue of crime here."

The Boston Police echoed this call to proactive action though additional police presence and community participation. Maj. Marty Walsh said the BPD has increased patrols in Dorchester two-fold since June, added an supplementary barracks called ‘Floating Patrols' to emphasize safety in public parks and beaches, installed more cameras, put in extra ‘restricted no parking' signs in neighborhoods, and extended park lighting hours.

"The strongest way to prevent an incident of crime besides constant police patrol is intelligence," Walsh said. "Do not hesitate to email or call with questions, concerns, or reports of a crime. Your intelligence could save someone's life."

"You can never be too mindful of your surroundings," added Flemming. The MBTA's Red Line is notoriously one of the more crime-ridden in the city, and cell phone thefts have plagued passengers for years. Flemming advised those at the meeting, "Don't text or talk on the phone while waiting for the T, don't use your iPod, keep your bag or purse close to you, and most importantly, keep your wits about you."

Riley, who has lived in Savin Hill all her life, said the neighborhood's reputation for crime is over-exaggerated. "The crime we've been experiencing lately is pretty new to us here in the Columbia-Savin Hill area. Not to mention, people have to remember Dorchester is Boston's biggest neighborhood, so of course it's going to have more crime," she said. "If you look at it by population, criminality hasn't been as big an issue as the rest of Boston would like to make it out to be."

Statistics show, however, Riley is overoptimistic about Dorchester's crime numbers in comparison to the rest of the city. Dorchester accounted for about 22 percent of Boston's population in 2010, according to the Dorchester Reporter, but 44 percent of the city's murders occurred in Dorchester that year, according to information gathered by The Boston Globe. In 2009 the numbers were even more discouraging, with Dorchester accounting for 24 of the 50 murders committed citywide.

Yet crime rates have actually improved since last year, continuing a trend. The number of major crimes committed or attempted in Dorchester's District C-11 so far this year is down 16 percent compared to this time last year, according to the Boston Police Department. Between Jan. 1, 2011 and Oct. 2, 2011 the police reported 1,969 major crimes in the district.