District A-7 to Get Five New Officers

With East Boston’s annual Peace Walks set to kick off this Thursday outside of District A-7 police station at 6 p.m. there may be some new faces among the crowd.

Last Tuesday the Boston Police held a graduation ceremony for the BPD recruit class at Boston University. and five of those graduates will be heading over to Eastie to help sure up District A-7’s crime fighting and community policing efforts.

“To all of our new officers embarking on a career dedicated to protecting and serving one of the safest big cities in America, we wish you nothing but the best of safety and success for the duration of your careers,” said Police Commissioner William Evans to the new officers at the graduation. “Being a police officer is one of the most honorable professions in the world and I look forward to watching the men and women of Recruit Class 57-17 grow and develop into some of the best police officers in the country.”

Mayor Martin Walsh added, “It takes a special person to be a good police officer and there’s no doubt you have what it takes. Congratulations to you and your families, and welcome to the Boston Police Department, Academy Class 57-17.”

Community Officer Danny Simons confirmed at a community meeting last week that the five new officers will be starting in Eastie, much to the delight of the residents in attendance.

During the uptick in gang-related crime in Eastie two years ago, the community has been petitioning the Walsh Administration for more officers at the short-staffed station.

Year after year a promise was made to send new graduating officers over to Eastie. However time and again those new officers were sent to more ‘high crime’ areas in Boston that experience more frequent violent crime when compared to Eastie.

While Eastie is considered one of the safer neighborhoods in Boston, the occurrence of gang-related stabbings, shooting and fights, as well as several homicides since 2015, did not go unnoticed by longtime residents and newcomers.

Walsh compromised and in 2016 and sent a number of police recruits, men and women who have come out of police academy training but were not yet full-fledged officers, to help boost the numbers at District A-7.  Captain Kelley McCormick also brought in specialized police like Boston’s gang unit as well as bicycle officers to begin patrols in the area until new officers were permanently placed in Eastie.

Last week Walsh announced his administration is committed to building a new police station in Eagle Square near the City Yards.

Over the next five years the city will spend $25.54 million to design and construct the long-awaited new police station. City bids for the new station should be sent out this year and construction on the new police station should begin in October or November 2018. The building’s design will work to create a more efficient and better station for police and replace the aging District A-7 station on Meridian Street near Maverick Square. The station will be roughly 26,000 sq. ft. with an entrance on the corner of Condor and Trenton Streets. There will be parking in the rear of the station for 50 vehicles and the building will be LEAD Silver Certified.

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