Safe Street Teams

Safe Street Team

The Boston Police Department
established Safe Street Teams in 2007 to enhance community engagement. Safe
Street Teams provide a reassuring presence in neighborhoods by walking the beat hile cultivating local relationships, pursuing proactive crime prevention
measures, enforcing public safety, and improving quality of life.

Community policing builds trust
and reduces crime in Boston’s neighborhoods. The BPD Safe Street Teams create clean,
safe and orderly environments, increase positive interaction with local youth,
and listen to the concerns of residents while offering tangible solutions.

Fourteen Safe Street Teams operate
throughout Boston. We hope to expand the program into more communities. Initially
piloted in three high-crime areas, our teams currently work in:

  1. A-1: Downtown Crossing and the Boston Common
  2. A-7: Eagle Hill/Maverick Square
  3. B-2: Columbia Road
  4. B-2: Grove Hall
  5. B-2: Orchard Park
  6. B-2: Uphams Corner
  7. B-3: Franklin Field
  8. B-3: Harvard Square (beginning July 2013)
  9. B-3: Morton Street/Norfolk Street
  10. C-11: Bowdoin Street
  11. C-11: Codman Square
  12. D-4: Newbury Street (beginning July 2013)
  13. D-4: South End
  14. E-13: Bromley Heath

Safe Street Teams consist of
line-level, district-based patrol officers who walk high-crime beats known as
“hotspots.” On a given day, officers interact with residents, respond to
community concerns, and maintain high visibility in inner city neighborhoods.
They engage in strategic problem solving, conduct outreach with at-risk youth,
provide referrals to services, and cultivate competent guardians of public
safety through partnerships with local businesses and leaders.

Safe Street Teams have achieved
success in collaborating with faith- and community-based organizations, other
law enforcement agencies, and City departments that support and empower patrol
officers in neighborhoods with intelligence, resources, and referral
information.

Crime has declined and will
continue to decline at our Safe Street Team sites. A 2011 study conducted over
a ten-year period found a 17.3% reduction in total violent index crime
incidents, with robbery going down by 19.2% and aggravated assault by 15.4%.
Additionally, crime has not shifted to other locations. With neighborhoods enjoying
tangible changes, community feedback remains extremely positive.