COLONEL’S MESSAGE
September 2013 Jurisdiction Issue?
Day in and day out, we work quite well in cooperation with partner agencies at the local, state, and federal level across the Commonwealth and beyond. 9/11 has taught us that collaboration and cooperation are the only ways to effectively provide public safety services. We can proudly point to successful major incidents this year and hundreds of lower profile incidents each week to illustrate the collaboration, cooperation, and mutual respect that we share in the law enforcement community. Unfortunately, stories about the cooperation and great police work that make a difference in our communities are not always attractive to local media outlets. I want to stress that I have the highest level of respect and admiration for Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis and his command staff. We have worked hand-in-hand with the Boston PD for over a hundred years, most notably in the last ten years on major events from the 2004 Democratic National Convention to the recent Marathon Bombing. They are professional, experienced, and competent. We have all witnessed the expansive growth in the Boston Seaport. It seems just a few years ago I was at the new Federal Courthouse preparing for a trial; the courthouse seemed to be the only building in that neighborhood. At that time, much of the vacant real estate was owned by Massport and laid dormant, awaiting an economic development plan. Fast forward to 2013: Massport and other private developers have transformed that landscape and given life to the area. That is a win for Massachusetts, Boston, and Massport. The relationship between Massport and the Massachusetts State Police is well established in law, tradition, and in formal memorandums and has been as such since the creation of Logan International Airport. That same relationship now extends to Massport’s interests in the Seaport. The Massachusetts State Police is not seeking some new authority or new jurisdiction – we are already there and have been there for decades. Simply put, there is no jurisdiction conflict; the law is quite definitive. Today, the Seaport is arguably the safest and best patrolled area of the city and has become a showcase for residents, visitors, and businesses.
slowly through grand jury proceedings and ultimately on to state Superior Courts or the U.S. District Court. Information on those cases is usually shared post-conviction, but we rarely see or hear about the exemplary and competent work performed by our Troopers in DIS. An editor from the Boston Globe recently visited me here at GHQ and, as we talked about notable cases, he expressed his overall lack of understanding of and appreciation for State Police involvement in a number of recent high profile cases. Those who are or have been assigned to DIS units know the commitment involved in developing and maintaining skills as an investigator. For example, some Troopers invest significant portions of their careers perfecting the skills and developing the expertise necessary to be homicide investigators. In 2012, our Detective Units, in conjunction with local police, responded to sixty-three homicides. Of that, fifty-three of those homicides were solved for an 84% clearance rate. The national average for homicide clearance over the last 10 years or so has been approximately 64% and most large cities in this country do not come close to that rate. There are approximately 600 sworn members in DIS, making it the second largest division within the Massachusetts State Police. Within that group are homicide investigators, sexual crime investigators, white collar crime and fraud investigators, organized crime experts, ballisticians, fire and arson experts, narcotics investigators, gang activity experts, and crime scene services technicians – each requiring their own level of expertise.
Noteworthy DIS Cases: Bulger Conviction
Having spent some thirteen years of my career (1990-2003) in the Special Services Section, I was exposed to the James “Whitey” Bulger case. I did not work on the Bulger Case, but I did witness the extraordinary conviction and dedication of so many colleagues in bringing forth justice. As U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz acknowledged, the investigation of Bulger was primarily the work of the Massachusetts State Police and DEA Agent Dan Doherty. On August 12th I was invited by U. S. Attorney Ortiz to a press event at the federal courthouse in Boston. As I said to the media that afternoon, in my capacity as Colonel I represented several generations of MSP investigators who were committed to bringing Bulger and his co-conspirators to justice. I spoke on behalf of former Department members Colonel Tom Foley, Lt. Colonel John O’Donovan, former Detective Lieutenants Bob Long, Jack O’Malley, Rick Fraelick, John Tutungian and, most recently, Detective Lieutenant Steve Johnson who has worked tirelessly with the prosecution team. MSP investigators weathered decades of murders, wiretaps, political and law enforcement corruption (including one of our own members), frustration, and seemingly insurmountable hurdles in order to bring Bulger and his co-conspir F?'2F??W7F?6R6??FVV??V'2gFW"?Rf?VB&?7F???vR6???F?Rw&VB&?FR&V6W6R?BF?RV?B?bF?RF??F?R??W2( ?v??FW?( ?'V?vW"66Rv2?766?W6WGG27FFR??6R66R?F?RF?f?6????b??fW7F?vF?fR6W'f?6W0?v?V??B6??W2F??W"F?f?6????b??fW7F?vF?fR6W'f?6W2V??G2?B?W"7FFR??6RFWFV7F?fRV??G2??'F?7V?"?F?RFW'F?V?BV?FW'7F?F&?v?fW2w&VBFVfW&V?6RF??W"F?7G&?7BGF?&?W?2&V?F?fRF?&V?V6??r??f?&?F????BW?FV?G2w&VB&W7V7Bf?"F?RF?66?fW'?&?6W72?B?F?W"??FF???2?6VBW??V&?6?G??"GFV?F???F?66W2?&W72&V?V6W2F?B?&?v??FRBt?W7V??6??6W&???FWv?'F??( ?f?V?N( ?WfV?B?"W'6???V??"??7??GFW"??V6??bF?Rv?&?W&f?&?VBv?F???D?2?2f?7W6VB??6W&??W2fV????W2?B66W2F?B&?w&W72V?FP??g&V?6?+v?L+vV?V7G&?<+v&?V\+u6WFV?&W,+s#<+wv\+s ??