Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says that coordinated regulation enforcement efforts have cracked down on unlawful “street takeovers” like the one in South Boston final week that ended with a police automotive set on hearth.
She additionally introduced the state was distributing $14 million in public security grants to 210 native police departments and 10 state companies “to support traffic enforcement and stop illegal activity.”
“This causes public disorder, it’s damage to property, and it poses a really significant threat to public safety, and certainly harms quality of life in our neighborhoods and communities,” Healey mentioned at a State Home Press convention Thursday whereas flanked by the leaders of the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton and Fall River Police departments.
“I said last week we have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior and that we were going to get after it and be on it,” she continued.
Healey mentioned that an organized effort between the MSP and native police departments on Saturday resulted in 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, 20 legal summons, seven arrests, 15 autos towed, two autos seized and the restoration of 1 stolen automotive.
“Most importantly, we saw none of the disruptions in our communities like we’ve seen in the past few weeks. And it’s thanks to the great police work across this state,” she mentioned. “That’s not to suggest that our work is done.”
MSP Col. Geoffrey Noble mentioned that there have been about 50 troopers there who had volunteered for the element, which he described as “tough work … dangerous work, and they did it to an exceptional level.”
One other effort on Oct. 2 in Brockton — the place the unlawful gathers have “taken over the streets,” in line with Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez — resulted in additional than 200 automotive stops, 33 tows, and an arrest for cocaine and fentanyl trafficking.
Healey described the so-called “street takeovers” as a dangerous nationwide development during which organizers recruit others on social media to dam intersections to stage “car racing, all sorts of dangerous maneuvers.”
Occurrences in japanese and southeastern Massachusetts got here to a head early within the morning of Sunday, Oct. 5, when police say greater than 100 folks attended an unlawful gathering across the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Road in South Boston, shutting down the conventional site visitors circulation.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox mentioned then that police have been met “by a pretty large group of people and some of the individuals in the group started to throw cones, poles, and other objects at the officers.” That escalated to some climbing onto a BPD cruiser after which setting it on hearth, totaling it. Two males from Rhode Island have been arrested.
“None of this would be possible without our team, our collective team, of troopers and officers who are out there day and night risking their lives to do this work,” Noble mentioned. “The results speak for themselves.”
Video nonetheless courtesy Exterior Affairs Porter
Fireplace engulfs a police cruiser at Mass Ave. and Tremont Road Sunday morning throughout a police response to a drag racing road takeover. (Video nonetheless courtesy Exterior Affairs Porter)
