The Bureau of Community Engagement’s Liaison Unit and Community Service Officers in each of our 11 District Stations engage in all of the communities we serve in Boston using a multi-layered approach.
Here are some of the programs and contact information for each. If you are interested in learning what is available in your district go to the district section of our site and get the contact information for your Community Service Officers and email them or give them a call to learn more.
G.R.O.W.: Girls Reflecting Our World
G.R.O.W. is a community-based girl’s mentorship and youth leadership program. This program specifically focuses on young girls who live and/ or attend school in the inner city of Boston. G.R.O.W. focuses on promoting transition, self-esteem building, leadership building, problem solving development, interpersonal skills, growth and mentorship. The goal is to teach, inspire and support young girls throughout the city as they transition from adolescence to a young adult and into adulthood all the while giving them opportunities otherwise not available to them. With the support of women from the community, as well as community members with support mechanisms for this group of youth; we will work diligently to expose young girls to existing opportunities and create new ones.
Mission: Inspire and support young inner-city girls through mentorship, engagement, leadership development and activities, as they transition into womanhood. Building and supporting Youth- Police community engagement and relationships.
Target Population: 20-25 girls already in the program, living in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan Jamaica Plain and Hyde Park (inner city urban areas of Boston). Students from various middle and high schools. Core age (11-14, allow up to age 17)
Person of Contact: Police Officer Jamila Gales
jamila.gales@pd.boston.gov
ACT Up with 5-0
Act up with 5-0 is an arts program which incorporates monologues, scene work,poetry, and videography and photography elements in an environment where police and youth are able to overcome trauma through artistic creativity.
Objectives:
- Learn fundamentals of acting; dissecting a script, voice projection, movement, transformation
- Gain Confidence through public speaking
- Enhance socio-emotional wellbeing through artistic creativity
- Make connections with police in their community through dialogue and artistic interaction
- Restorative Justice in Art workshop
- Learn fundamentals of photography and video production
- Business Workshop
- Team Building Workshop
- Create personal vision boards that reflect their goals in life
- Record Public Service Announcements relating to change youth would like to see in the world
- Create Resume that can be used in Arts
- Perform at end of program ceremony
Target Population: Youth from the program are from various high schools and middle schools in the city of Boston. Most of our youth live in the areas of Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park.
“Uppers” are both young females and males who are in middle or high school. Students from Boston Public Schools, private and charter schools, and BCYF community centers are recruited for participation. “Littles” are from Boston elementary schools.
Program Size: 20 -25 youth (Uppers - H.S. and Middle School) , 10-15 youth (Littles - Elementary school)
Both of these programs incorporate the need to provide a meal component to assist these youth and their families with food insecurity. Both programs also allow for eligible youth to have a “paid position” within the program.
For most, these programs are their first job opportunities.
Contact: Police Officer Kerline Desir
kerline.desir@pd.boston.gov
H.O.P.E. (HEALTH. OPPORTUNITY. PHYSICAL. EDUCATION.) TaeKwonDo Program
The HOPE TaeKwonDo Program is offered at the (BCYF) Perkins Community Center as well as the Chinatown YMCA and the (BCYF) Nazzaro Center.
Both girls and boys from ages 8 to 16 are offered a free program to learn TaeKwonDo while at the same time promoting healthy lifestyles both physically and educationally.
Contacts:
Police Officer Michael Lam
michael.lam@pd.boston.gov
Police Officer Will Chen
william.chen@pd.boston.gov
Youth Power & Properties
Youth Power & Properties is a program designed to introduce teenagers to the fundamentals and diverse opportunities in the field of real estate. Youth Power and Properties was created by Boston Police Officer Clorissa McGregor to provide a space that educates teenagers in the city of Boston on the power of owning and leveraging real estate. Clorissa is a Police Officer in the School Unit for the Boston Police Department as well as a Real Estate Agent for the state of MA. While serving as a resource for schools and community events in Boston, she noticed a lack of courses offered In schools that taught about financial literacy and homeownership. She also noticed many of her mentees had a high interest in learning about the real estate field. As a Police Officer and Real Estate Agent, she is able to help connect the two worlds and bridge the gap between the community and policing by providing youth with an opportunity for personal growth and a long term tool for financial stability. The program consists of facilitated 60 to 90 minute interactive workshops for teenagers, ages 14-19 years old, who live in the city of Boston. The workshops focus on understanding the basics of Real Estate, exploring different types of properties, career paths within the real estate field, real estate Investing, the homeownership process, and understanding credit and financial literacy. The goal is to equip participants with the necessary tools and information to empower them to make informed decisions surrounding real estate, whether it be for personal interest, as a career path, or future investment opportunities. It also encourages ethical and responsible practices in the industry. This program runs through the year.
Contact:
Police Officer Clorissa McGregor
clorissa.mcgregor@pd.boston.gov
Ice Hockey Skills
The Ice Hockey Skills program is offered @ A-7 East Boston. Ages 5-18 are welcome, full equipment is required. We will teach them to work as a team as well as the following skill sets (Edges, Overspeed, Decision Making, Shooting and Puck Handling). August - April
Dryland Training
“Teach me to Fish”
The “Teach me to Fish” cooking program is a partnership with the Lingzi Foundation and Boston PAL. Elementary school children and their families join together with our officers to cook a healthy home cooked meal. Ingredients are delivered to the families homes and the classes have been held virtually. Future classes are being planned to be in person as well.
Contact:
Police Officer Lauren Woods
lauren.woods@pd.boston.gov
“Best” Eastie Girls
We have partnered with the Salesians Boys and Girls Club in East Boston for a weekly program for females (“BEST Eastie Girls”). This youth program’s goal is to promote positivity, help build social and life skills, academic improvement, affirmation skills, and community involvement. Officers have partnered up with different local organizations to help the young girls navigate adolescence in healthy ways. This group offers a variety of organized mechanisms to prevent high risk behaviors that may be encountered in adolescence. BEST Eastie Girls program is designed to;
- build confidence and positive self-identity,
- community connections,
- competence in academic, social, life and safety skills
- nutrition and physical activity
- provide mentorships and relationships between the youth and the officers.
Weekly Basketball Clinic League (East Boston)
We partner with the East Boston Community Service Office (A-7 CSO) and the (BCYF) Martin Pino Community Center for a weekly basketball clinic league. This clinic runs from children ages 8-12 in which they are taught sportsmanship and the basic skills in the sport of basketball.
Contact: Police Officer Brenda Figueroa and/or Area A-7 CSO
brenda.figueroa@pd.boston.gov
radKIDS Personal Safety Empowerment & Awareness
***Programs offered citywide at various times***
BPD partners with Boston Center for Youth and Families (BCYF) Leahy Holloran Community Center for a radKIDS program (ages 5-7). The radKIDS program is a personal empowerment safety curriculum that provides children with personal empowerment, safety education, and violence prevention. The program is taught by our officers who have been trained and certified to offer this nationally recognised program.
- builds a child’s self-esteem while helping them establish their own personal boundaries
- enhances a child’s ability to avoid victimization (Bullying, Abuse, Abduction)
- encourages communication between parents and children about personal safety
- reduces the feelings of guilt and blame that often are associated with victimization
- promotes disclosure of abuse and victimization
- enhances and coordinate community response creating culture change
- reinforces adult supervision and protection through child centered approach
This example is from Dorchester but the program is offered to children city-wide. Please contact your District Community Service Office to learn more.
Non-Contact Boxing and Challenger Basketball Program
We partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester for a number of Inclusive Programs. Currently, our officers are teaching a weekly Non-Contact Boxing skills program to an inclusive group. Additionally, our officers are taking part in the weekly “Challenger Basketball Program” which is also inclusive.
Contact: Police Officer Timothy Wilson
timothy.wilson@pd.boston.gov
Chess Clubs
We partner with both the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester and Mission Safe (1514 Dorchester Ave.) to provide Chess Clubs. Our officers teach the game/skills of Chess during weekly visits to both locations.
Contact: Police Officer Timothy Wilson
timothy.wilson@pd.boston.gov
Table Tennis
We partner with (BCYF) Perkins Community Center for their weekly Table Tennis Program. The Dorchester Table Tennis Club plays 4 days a week.
Contacts:
Police Officer William Chen
william.chen@pd.boston.gov
Police Officer Michael Lam
michael.lam@pd.boston.gov
For the following initiatives, please contact Inclusion Officer: Police Officer Michelle Maffeo
michelle.maffeo@pd.boston.gov
North Star Personal Alert Program
The North Star Personal Alert Program is a voluntary program for parents, guardians or caretakers of children and individuals that may have a tendency to wander or are a flight risk from a specific location (home, school, nursing home etc.). The program is designed to help individuals that may have a difficult time communicating with First Responders and, in some cases, do not understand the potential danger he/she may be in. This Program is geared towards, but not limited to, children/individuals with Autism/Autistic Spectrum Disorders and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
If interested, you can contact BPD regarding North Star at (617) 343-9557,
by email at northstar@pd.boston.gov
Safety Net Tracking Liaison
When an individual with cognitive conditions such as autism, developmental disability, dementia or Alzheimer’s becomes an active wanderer or a flight risk from their home, we recommend a safety net tracking bracelet. BPD has a grant that can purchase the bracelet for the individual. Work with families to help provide a safety plan for that individual. The Customer Service line for Safety Net which is (877) 434 6384 and the email is customerservice@safetynettracking.com.
BPD collaborates with BPS classrooms that include students with disabilities Safety talks in the students with disabilities / autism classrooms using social stories. Talking to students about being a police officer and how we are there to help them, building trust, having them either be able to introduce themselves and give a home address to an officer or if nonverbal learning how to hand an ID to an officer when asked.
School Visits to Read to Students
BPD partners with schools (BPS, Charter and Private) city wide to read to students.
Please reach out to your District Community Service Office to schedule a visit.
We are the lead organizers of “First Responder Days”
These events are held at different Boston Public School locations city-wide. We partner with BPS to promote inclusion. Other first responders (BFD, EMS, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Mass State Police) assist us in an interactive and inclusive day for students with special needs.
Partnering with RMV
Safety Outings for students with disabilities to the RMV to obtain their Mass ID.
First Responder Safety Days
Either held at a school, park or extended school year location for students with disabilities. Some may be non-verbal, lack communication skills and safety skills and are more likely to need the assistance of a First Responder for any number of reasons. These days help build relationships with the kids and build trust that they know that if they need help from first responders, for whatever reason, we will be there to help them.
First Responders - police, fire ems, transit, state and emergency management - come in uniforms and equipment/vehicles on hand to have these kids meet us and explore, to be more comfortable around us in a non-emergency situation. Some of the kids may have higher functioning skills but may regress in a stressful situation, by familiarizing them with First responders will hopefully help de-escalate an otherwise stressful incident. It is a positive learning experience for the students as well as the First Responders.
Adaptive Swimming
We partner with the (BPS) Burke High School for their “Adaptive Swimming Program”. Our officers provide weekly transportation to approximately 50 Boston Public School students so they can attend this program at BCYF Curtis Hall.
Collaborating with service providers and districts
If an individual with autism may have increasing behaviors or incidences that are likely to end in a law enforcement response, with other service providers and family support we try to implement a plan to keep them out of the criminal justice system.
Autism Training Classes
How to Recognize, Respond and Assist Classes for recruits in police academies, CIT as well as the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Dept. Autism Awareness Training for Community Partner’s BMC Hospital police and security staff.
Work with adults with disabilities
Managing conflict, Safety talks, calling 911, taking transit.
Inclusion camp
Partnering with Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester: Project Bind, Running a week long camp of community activities, police activities; building social and life skills.