At least she sounded willing to listen to the sensible answer-- that ethical DAs are also concerned for minority victims (the most common targets of minority criminals).
When supposed law enforcement officials spout this garbage, this is why ordinary citizens feel unsafe. Look for a rise in firearms applications in Boston.
He current prosecutors in office should now form a union to protect their jobs....she comes from a position that their is massive injustice to black community while most violence crimes is committed by blacks against blacks disproportionately to their population.... just take black crime stats out of Boston and we have crime rate of a quite Swiss village ...look at crime in majority Black cities like Washington DC, Detroit, south side of Chicago, Memphis and realizing with black mayors and police chiefs not the fault of white privileged....
During her brief stay at the US Attorney's office Ms. Rollins was on the civil side. She never "prosecuted" any criminal cases. She has no experience in criminal law. She has no first hand knowledge on what it takes to "prosecute" a felony, never mind a murder case. Consequently, her interviews with those who currently prosecute serious cases in Suffolk County must have been interesting. However, she was smart enough to spot the Suffolk County DA's office as an election that could be won although she lived outside the County in Medford. It is interesting that Police Commissioner Gross was unavailable for comment.
That is a key question. It would not be bad if careful record is kept of the first offense, *and* automatic protocols are in place to check for that record after any subsequent arrest. Otherwise, this a charter for soaring crime.
ride on any highway and watch the number of people exceeding the speed limit. drive on any city street and watch the number of cars driving right through stop signs, watch the number of people jay-walking. there are plenty of "petty crimes" not enforced now or not "prosecuted" when individuals are caught.
Welcome to Boston. I still cannot believe that in the final the voters of Suffolk County had to choose between two finalists who did not live in Suffolk County.
Antietem she is a woman and black so she is qualified and also the first woman elected for the position. Just like they elected Pres. Obama for president because he was the first black president and Hillary was hoping she would be the first woman president, but then the people were smart not to fall for that again.
'she turned to her supporters and made a throat-slashing motion to signal the race was over." Classy “I could have Brandi Chastained it and ripped my shirt off,” Rollins quipped. Thank you for leaving your shirt on.
So when does she move her family? That is the number one indicator of her commitment to Suffolk county.
Why didn’t she run in the county where she lives and grew up- there was an opportunity to influence many more cities and towns? Because she was banking on voters in Boston using race as a factor in her selection, unfortunately.
Let’s hope she does well, but not by ignoring the crimes that so many victims in Boston face.
RZwarich: Race shouldn't trump capabilities and talent in many LE assignments. The best man/woman should be selected. This is particularly true for BPD detectives assigned to the homicide unit. Boston's clearance rate for homicides is not good, primarily because of the nature of most of them and that prevalent, "no snitching" mentality. Maybe more witnesses will come forward and be willing to talk to investigators because they are of color? Frankly, I doubt it because murder witnesses will still be afraid of reprisals.
I’m frankly appalled by her intent not to prosecute what she refers to as “low-level” crimes. Petty crimes will soar, but will we even know? Crime-exhausted citizens and business owners probably won’t even call the police, knowing there’s no point, so there won’t be data to track.
The proposal isn't that petty crime be ignored, but rather that it be 'prosecuted' in a different way, with consequences that do not depend on the prison system.
This article mentions 'community service', as an example of a consequence that would be pursued instead of putting people in cages in a brutal system.
"Why would you apply for a job where you would be putting people of color in jail every day"? Well, Ms Rollins, I don't believe prosecutors try to put innocent citizens of any color in jail every day, you make it sound like they are scooping folks up off the street and jailing them.....DAs are prosecuting crimes, do you get that at all???? Perhaps not, as you appear to be in the process of changing a number of serious offenses into non-crimes... I don't think this is going to end well. Pretty scary
she's asking a challenging question about something that is reality. what's wrong with that? to me, its like asking someone applying for a job in a morgue, why would you apply for a job where you know you'll be working with dead people or asking someone applying for a job in a pediatric ward, why would you apply for a job where you know you'll be giving kids drugs that make them feel sick. working in challenging jobs during changing times is uncomfortable and you have to make sure people are up to the job
User, Prosecutors try to put citizens of color in jail all the time. Even innocent people of color, their defense attorneys don't defend them well. DA offers a deal? Defense attorneys tell the Defendant "take it it's better than you'll get when you're found guilty at trial". They're all hacks; Prosecutors AND Defense attorneys!
Rollins “plans” to move to Roxbury. When? She will be sworn in on January 2 and must be living in the district at that time. Does she have a rental unit picked out? Has a moving company been hired?
She is a DA, sworn to uphold the law, not change the law by fiat. Left or right, a DA who so arbitrarily decides to not enforce the law is wrong and unfit for office.
RZ neither you nor I can possibly know the statistics for how many innocent people plea guilty to crimes that did not commit but my gut feeling is that it is not nearly as high as you imply.
That being said there is no valid excuse for people to have no respect for the law and commit petty crimes. This is not Jean Valjean stealing bread so as not to starve this is people stealing designer jeans and luxury products.
"They settled in Dorchester but in the early 1970s moved to Cambridge to escape the slurs and other racism they encountered as an interracial couple. "
Or they did not want their children bussed across the city as part of the desegregation plan
Bingo. How does a responsible media outlet just accept such an assertion? Just as likely they moved to avoid busing and then took the free tuition BBN offered to black kids in Cambridge. Reporting that, however, wouldn’t fit the fake Globe narrative. Dorchester is now, and was then, the most diverse neighborhood in Boston. In its reporting the Globe has historically used “Dorchester” as a proxy for Mattapan and Roxbury so it seems more dangerous than it is. OFD.
Her campaign rhetoric about not prosecuting low level crimes is basically surrendering to the fact that a lot of her constituency are unwilling and/or unable to comport to the norms of society, no matter how or how many times they are treated by the judicial system. Basically, she is "lowering the bar" to accommodate the incorrigibles- brilliant! The sorts of crimes she is giving "immunity" to are quality of life issues- not enforcing such will reflect upon the morale of the law abiding citizens in the affected ( mostly people of color) neighborhoods.
Will she and the police cooperate to keep careful records of those "first-time" offenses and recheck them *each* time there is a new arrest? Or will we be seeing multiple "first" offenses?
She pledged to assign more detectives of color to the homicide unit, place more women in top positions, and hire people of all ages — from millennials to seniors — for jobs such as secretary, investigator, and victim witness advocate.
Great strategy, fighting crime with diversity hires...at least the criminals will feel good.
bobbymac225: No, the BPD assigns to her detectives. That said, the BPD traditionally have given a DA a strong voice, with the DA's threat of bringing in MSP instead of BPD officers hanging over its head.
The crime stats will show a drop in crime because they won’t classiffy them as crimes anymore. She’ll be proclaimed as a miracle worker. People who are victims of these former crimes will know better.
bluejay6: You are so correct. I hope the BPD and other Suffolk County communities keep good records. She is the chief LE officer for Suffolk County, but she is charged with enforcing state law. The police, with the support of brass, should ignore her guidance, make the arrests and don't worry about what happens in court. They will have done their job. She seems to be the sort that will blame the police for "misinterpreting" her guidance when things "go south."
"Inmates running the asylum" comes to mind. How can a DA or any part of the CJ system employ convicted felons when such are ineligible for most sorts of occupational licensing in MA? I think that if I were a young ADA in Suffolk County I would be "bailing-out" so as not to have my name and reputation tarnished by an association with such a whack-job.
A reminder or perhaps a revelation for Ms. Rollins: So far in 2018 there have been 144 law enforcement killings nationwide. This is a large increase. I remember the days when the number hovered around 90-100 for a couple of decades. She is going to "nolle pros" resisting arrest? Great idea, further encourage disrespect for the police. Lastly, the BPD officers should continue to make arrests for the crimes that she feels aren't warranted. The BPD brass should 100 % back such a policy. The crimes are state law, not Suffolk County's. Let the DA's office decline to prosecute such. When the "chickens come home to roost," the onus will be on the DA's office, not the police.
OD and you wonder why Comm. Gross has not made a comment...she has no clue on what he has to deal with with all the shootings and killings in Boston. He knows what crime is.
Who wants a group of punks hanging outside your house at one a.m. yelling, swearing and breaking bottles. Who wants to own a shop and have items stolen everyday? What is "petty" crime for Ms. Rollins out there in Medford are quality of life issues that cause people to flee the city, as Ms. Rollins has.
So she is moving to Roxbury? Hmmm. Hopefully, she will get to experience personally some of the "quality of life" criminality that she finds so trivial. Will she have a municipal car or own her own car? I wonder where they will be parked. I genuinely feel empathy for the good folks- as cited by "salt air."
Now Boston's residents will find out how the "faculty lounge" view of society's criminals fares when it intersects with the reality of the neighborhoods. It will quite a laboratory experiment to see how "social justice" impacts what most of us feel is actual criminal justice.
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She never "prosecuted" any criminal cases.
She has no experience in criminal law.
She has no first hand knowledge on what it takes to "prosecute" a felony, never mind a murder case.
Consequently, her interviews with those who currently prosecute serious cases in Suffolk County must have been interesting.
However, she was smart enough to spot the Suffolk County DA's office as an election that could be won although she lived outside the County in Medford.
It is interesting that Police Commissioner Gross was unavailable for comment.
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she is a woman and black so she is qualified and also the first woman elected for the position.
Just like they elected Pres. Obama for president because he was the first black president and Hillary was hoping she would be the first woman president, but then the people were smart not to fall for that again.
“I could have Brandi Chastained it and ripped my shirt off,” Rollins quipped.
Thank you for leaving your shirt on.
That is the number one indicator of her commitment to Suffolk county.
Why didn’t she run in the county where she lives and grew up- there was an opportunity to influence many more cities and towns? Because she was banking on voters in Boston using race as a factor in her selection, unfortunately.
Let’s hope she does well, but not by ignoring the crimes that so many victims in Boston face.
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This article mentions 'community service', as an example of a consequence that would be pursued instead of putting people in cages in a brutal system.
Painting her as a carpetbagger is just childishly petty.
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That being said there is no valid excuse for people to have no respect for the law and commit petty crimes. This is not Jean Valjean stealing bread so as not to starve this is people stealing designer jeans and luxury products.
Or they did not want their children bussed across the city as part of the desegregation plan
Dorchester is now, and was then, the most diverse neighborhood in Boston. In its reporting the Globe has historically used “Dorchester” as a proxy for Mattapan and Roxbury so it seems more dangerous than it is. OFD.
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Great strategy, fighting crime with diversity hires...at least the criminals will feel good.
and you wonder why Comm. Gross has not made a comment...she has no clue on what he has to deal with with all the shootings and killings in Boston. He knows what crime is.
God save the county.