The Boston Police Homicide Unit, under the extremely able direction ofDeputy Superintendent Daniel Coleman, continues to put incredible
effort into the investigation of the recent murder of four young men in
Dorchester. With determination and compassion, they have worked around
the clock since Tuesday evening. It\’s the same effort I\’ve personally
witnessed time and time again over the past few years as they and other
Boston Police officers have worked so hard in the face of big
challenges. While there is always pressure to produce timely results,
investigations of this nature are extremely complicated and must be
conducted in a very methodical way. A premature arrest in a homicide
case may ease public concern and media pressure, but justice will only
be served if the investigation conducted identifies the correct
perpetrator(s) and leads to an air-tight conviction. The quality of
homicide cases presented by Boston Police and Suffolk County
prosecutors has never been better than it is today. Those who are quick
to cite the decrease in clearance rate should pay close attention to
the conviction rate of BPD/Suffolk County cases now and in the future.
I\’m certain that the BPD could significantly increase the clearance
rate by prematurely arresting possible suspects and cutting
investigative corners in homicide cases, but neither Deputy Coleman nor
I will allow that to happen. We will continue to keep the public
informed on this and other cases to the best extent possible, but never
to the point where we could undermine a future conviction.
As is always the case in a high-profile investigation, there are lots
of rumors and much speculation circulating. While I\’m not questioning
the good intentions of most journalists or those contributing to their
stories, I’d like to clarify or put into appropriate context some of
the statements attributed to me and others. On several occasions, I\’ve
indicated that it\’s much too early to draw conclusions about motive or
evidence in this case. I have confirmed that there didn\’t appear to be
forced entry. I\’ve said that, at this time, there is no evidence of
gang or drug activity. I have never indicated that we have a suspect
or suspects in this case, but when asked about homicides in general,
have said that the vast majority are crimes of passion between people
who know each other. Again, I have qualified every statement I\’ve made
by reiterating that it\’s much too early to draw definitive conclusions
or rule anything out in this investigation.
I also want to very clearly address the role of federal law enforcement
in this case. Neither Boston officers nor the public should read
anything into this. Because we have enjoyed good working relationships
in recent years with the FBI, DEA and ATF, they reached out to us this
past week through U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan to offer support
resources they have that could possibly be helpful to us. Mr. Sullivan
began the discussion by complimenting the work of the BPD and our
Homicide Unit and stressing that they have no desire to interfere in
any way. He offered that each agency would identify an on-call
representative to respond to BPD Homicide Unit requests for technical
assistance that may surface. For example, the FBI has highly trained
analysts with ready access to phone records. They have behavioral
science resources that we don\’t have internally. While we have an
extraordinary crime lab, ATF and DEA may have specialized lab resources
that could supplement our own. The federal agencies generally have
video and photo enhancement capability that surpasses ours. These are
just a few examples of technical resources that have either been lent
to the BPD in past cases and/or are available to investigators now on a
moment\’s notice.
The SAC\’s from the FBI, DEA and ATF also said that they would reach out
to their investigators who have intelligence sources who could be
useful to the BPD Homicide Unit.
Bottom line: The Feds are not coming in to take over a BPD/Suffolk
county case. To even imply that is absurd. These valuable partners
are simply standing at the ready to respond to Deputy Coleman\’s
requests if he has any need for their services. Why would we ever
refuse that genuine offer of support?
In closing, as questions or concerns arise on these or other issues,
please don\’t hesitate to send your feedback either through Media
Relations, our new BPD blog, or to the Office of the Police
Commissioner e-mail address. As always, I\’d rather address the rumors
or concerns head-on.
Thank you again to all Department personnel. I see first-hand how hard
you\’re working during very challenging times and I genuinely appreciate
it.
Kathleen M. O’Toole
