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By Dave Demerjian
The Boston Globe, February 5, 2006
"Jamaica Plain has more community meetings than anyplace I've ever been," said Boston Police Captain James Claiborne. ''And I consider that a very good thing."
Neighborhood involvement will be needed as residents of what has long been considered one of the safer parts of the city deal with a rise this past year in some reported crime categories, according to police reports. That challenge topped the agenda in the recent ''state of the district" community meeting led by Claiborne, who was named captain of Boston's E-13 police district last September.
Much of the crime increase has been youth-related – notably in the Columbus Avenue corridor between Jackson and Egleston squares, Claiborne said. A crucial piece of the crime-fighting puzzle, he said, is dealing with what he sees as a cultural shift among the city's youth. ''The issue is not necessarily that there are more guns on the street today, but that young people seem to be more willing to pull the trigger," he said. Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole, who also attended the meeting, concurred, saying the citywide rise in homicides is due in part to youths with guns ''settling scores."
At just 3.13 square miles, encompassing Jamaica Plain and parts of Roxbury, E-13 is the ninth smallest of the city's 11 police districts, ranking sixth in firearm-related arrests in 2005 and seventh in drug arrests, according to statistics released at the meeting. Homicides in the district doubled to four in 2005, but other forms of violent crime were flat or slightly lower. Property crime was also flat, with the exception of commercial burglary, which jumped 28 percent. The only crime category where E-13 ranked above the city average in 2005 was vehicle theft, with 445 cars stolen.
Claiborne said Operation Crosstown, a two-month gun seizure and arrest sweep focused on the area between Hyde and Egleston squares, where 35 to 40 percent of the district's violent crime is concentrated, and Operation Criss Cross, where all available units in the district flood a single location simultaneously, have reduced crime and increased police visibility. ''We saw firearm-related incidents decrease significantly after Crosstown," he said. ''And Criss Cross keeps the pressure on, reminding people that we are never far away."
Beat teams – officers with a high level of street presence, patrol each of E-13's three areas: Hyde Square, Egleston Square, and JP Center. ''Policing should be highly visible, and should be done by officers who are not strangers," he said. ''We're putting officers out there who have good communication skills. Many of them have teenagers of their own, and they know how to listen."
Jesus Gerena, director of Community Development and Organizing at the Hyde Square Task Force, a nonprofit serving area families and youth, said that the beat teams are making an impact. ''I see the police on the streets engaging with the kids, introducing themselves and reaching out," he said. ''It's the best way to break down walls, and to find common ground." As part of Mayor Thomas Menino's B-SMART program, E-13 officers have also been talking with youths in structured meetings at the Bromley-Heath public housing development.
Joseph Porcelli, a Jamaica Plain resident and founder of Neighbors for Neighbors, a local social and organizing group, said that Claiborne also seems committed to engaging the community. ''Every officer that I've come in contact with has been receptive to my concerns," he said. ''They want to hear what we have to say."
Claiborne said that E-13, home to just 5.9 percent of Boston's residents, has one of the highest concentrations of neighborhood crime watch groups in the city, which speaks to a high level of community involvement. ''Some communities have one or two activists – Jamaica Plain is full of them," he said.
He is proposing a districtwide advisory committee to help coordinate the activities of different community groups, and said that a new feedback process should further improve his staff's response to community concerns.
Claiborne's focus for the coming year is on maximizing resources at his district's disposal, and looking for different and better approaches to policing. When asked if the increase in Boston's crime rate ever demoralizes his staff, he is quick to reply.
''If anything," he said, ''it makes us more determined."
