Payback time for Boston next week
By Franco Ordonez, The Boston Globe
Hundreds of suburban police will head into Boston next week -- gas masks and riot gear in hand -- prepared to protect the city from domestic or international terrorism.
At least 150 police officers from Norfolk and Middlesex counties will temporarily leave their suburban patrols to assist with security at the Democratic National Convention. Even more will be asked to help secure local subway and commuter lines.
Citing security concerns, Boston police will not say exactly how many suburban officers are being requested. But, officials have said, no risk is too small to address when an estimated 35,000 visitors, including approximately 5,000 delegates and 2,500 protesters, will descend on Boston for the festivities. Altogether, 3,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers are expected.
“This is an unusual event,” said Beverly Ford, a Boston police spokeswoman, regarding the need to tap suburban resources for the convention. “And we want to make sure that security is the best it can be.”
While the Boston Police Department has often come to the aid of other police departments, suburban police forces, in recent memory, have never been needed to back up city patrols, according to Boston police. And some local police departments look at the convention as their opportunity to return the favor.
“We’re always taking from the Boston police and using their resources,” said Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau. “This is the first time, in my career, that Boston is asking for our help. That’s why a lot of the communities are stepping up.”
Two area regional police consortiums have been called to assist the city’s 2,032-member department.
The North East Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, which represents 43 communities in Middlesex and Essex counties, will send about 40 members of its regional response team to work near the FleetCenter, Deveau said. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council, representing 43 police and sheriff departments in Norfolk and Middlesex counties, will provide about 140 officers to assist with crowd control, emergency response, and motorcycle escorts for delegates’ buses.
“This is probably the largest public safety event to affect Massachusetts,” said Deputy Chief Richard Wells of the Milton Police Department, who is also commander of the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council’s special tactics and response division.
Wells would not give details on the role of his unit during the convention but said his officers are trained to respond to multiple emergency scenarios, including an act of terrorism or public disturbance caused by political extremists.
Natick Police Chief Dennis Mannix, president of the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council, said his officers have been training with the Boston police for more than a year.
“This isn’t something that just happened in the past month,” he said. “We knew the Democratic National Convention was coming for some time. And we knew that we would be a part of it.”
But even though many officers will go to Boston, local police say they remain prepared for emergencies in their hometowns. Some departments have canceled vacations to ensure full staffing at their stations, and have developed contingency plans with neighboring police departments.
As part of the $50 million budgeted for convention security, Boston will reimburse each of the local departments for any overtime pay accrued in connection with the convention, the local chiefs said. The Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council also received $1.5 million in federal grants for the convention to purchase new weapons, hard plastic riot gear known as “turtle suits,” and a $600,000 communications vehicle, which will serve as the communications hub for council officers.
Several more police departments in communities along subway and commuter rail lines, along with the Massachusetts National Guard, have also been called to boost security at MBTA stations. Franklin police will have regular patrols of their local commuter station. Newton police officers stationed at the Riverside T stop will be on the lookout for suspicious behavior.
Sergeant Ken Dangelo of the Newton Police Department, who declined to specify how many officers would be stationed at local subway stops, said the officers would also be available in the event of an emergency.
“Should there be some event where people had to evacuate the city in a timely matter, we would be there to assist with that,” Dangelo said.