Community Corner
Old Dover Residents: Bring Back the 'Sky Cam'
Concerns about neighborhood vitality and reducing crime were paramount at Tuesday night's neighborhood meeting.
Ongoing efforts to enhance safety and security in the Old Dover neighborhood were discussed in depth during a Tuesday night meeting of the Old Dover Neighborhood Association, with many residents supporting increased camera surveillance in the area.
Residents: Bring back the 'sky cam'
In particular, residents asked for the return of the MBTA's Sky Tower, a mounted security camera parked on Washington Street near East Berkeley in July to deter illegal activity in the area. The tower was dismanteled as a precaution during Hurricane Irene, but residents can petition for it to be re-actived, transit officials said Tuesday.
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Transit Police present at the meeting also reported on the continued efficacy of a new beat officer on the streets around Back Bay Station and said that “slowly but surely” cameras are coming to Silver Line buses.
Added police presence
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Two police officers on foot patrol have been added to Tremont Street in the Old Dover neighborhood, according to Sergeant Gino Provenzano. The department is also making progress on an upcoming RAD Program (Rape Aggression Defense), which will provide training for women interested in learning self-defense techniques. The program, which the BPD is coordinating with Old Dover, is tentatively planned for sometime later this fall.
Provenzano also provided updated statistics on crime in the Old Dover area over the past two months. Police made 21 drug arrests and 5 drug summons, 17 summons for prostitution, and responded to 3 homicides, all of which resulted in arrests.
New ID cards issued at Pine Street Inn
is also adding an eye on the streets with a new "evening detail officer" who will patrol the area around the Inn from 7 to 11 p.m. representatives said.
The Inn is also implementing a new photo ID policy for Pine Street clients. The photo IDs, which were successful in a test phase at the Women's Inn, will be used to separate individuals receiving services from Pine Street from those who are loitering outside its facilities without cause.