July 11, 2008

Omissions

Omissions

[This letter was published in the Cambridge Chronicle online edition July 16, 2008; print edition July 17, 2008.]

The essay praising the Police Commissioner ignores the fact that the
City Manager is the top law enforcement officer of the city pursuant
to state law (M.G.L. Chapter 43, Section 104). (Erin Smith, "Top cop
reflects on one year on the job," Cambridge Chronicle, July 10, 2008)
The Manager's policy makes Harvard property a separate jurisdiction
from the rest of the city. HUPD promotes the idea that they have
exclusive jurisdiction on Harvard property which allows city police to
ignore violations of city ordinances because Harvard police are not
empowered to enforce them. City communications dispatchers divert
calls to Harvard knowing they cannot enforce some laws. Harvard
employees and contractors can violate noise ordinances, taking
deliveries as late as 1:00 AM on Thursdays through Saturday nights,
and by using hand-held gas-powered hedge trimmers. Harvard tour buses
violate state laws parking illegally and idling their engines. Crimes
on Harvard property are ignored by Cambridge police as if Harvard were
a different city. The same practices instituted under Healy's 25-year
reign continue under the new Police Commissioner. Police still treat
persons accused of mental illness as if they were criminals and
continue to violate city, state and US laws discriminating against
those persons. It appears that the new Commissioner shares this
illegal attitude. The Police Review Board and the Human Rights
Commission are run by police pretending to be civilians, an ongoing
abuse of police power. Cambridge police are untrained in enforcing
some criminal firearm statutes (e.g., Chapter 140, Section 131J) and
favor enforcement of laws protecting women over other vulnerable
groups. Cambridge police admit they are clueless when it comes to
preventing high tech crimes. It is mostly business as usual by a
better politician than the previous Commissioner.

[Comments on Chronicle online edition]

CamNeely
July 17, 2008
Lets get real here. There are drugs, shootings, and graffiti all over the city and you are worrying about petty HU issues. If this is your worse nightmare then you are doing very good.
Police absolutely do not treat people with mental illness like criminals. in fact, I'd say the opposite. They treat criminals like they have mental illnesses. I have seen many a drug addict get a free pass because they are 'bipolar'.
This is a game drug addicts are taught to play by the system that protects them and makes money from them.

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Roy Bercaw
July 19, 2008
The Cambridge Health Alliance reports in their Annual Report that CHA coordinates mental health care with the Cambridge police. Is that to protect the patient from the dangerous doctors? Do they coordinate treatment of rashes and broken legs also with the Cambridge police? What universe do you live in? One black Arlington doctor celebrated treating mental patients as if they are dangerous. So much for compassion from others who know about discrimination. His letter was published in the Cambridge Chronicle. Try reading the training modules of the MA Criminal Justice Training Council which trains all MA police officers. It is state policy to treat them as if they are dangerous.
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Top cop reflects on one year on the job
By Erin Smith
Cambridge Chronicle
July 10, 2008

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x833729297/Top-cop-reflects-on-one-year-on-the-job

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