Is this a trend from DA Dan Conley? A while back he actually criticized a jury for dealing him a defeat in a murder case — something you almost never hear. Now DA Dan is criticizing personnel decisions:
In an extremely rare public rebuke, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley yesterday railed against a shake-up in the Boston Police Department, saying Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis was risking the reversal of recent positive steps in investigations by replacing the head of the homicide unit.
Conley, who under state law is in charge of homicide investigations in Boston, said he was not consulted on the decision and is “looking at all my options going forward.” One option could be to put State Police in charge of homicide cases in Boston, a power the Suffolk district attorney’s office said Conley has.
“The commissioner has just unilaterally thrown out decades of communication, collaboration, agreement, and joint decision-making,” Conley told the Globe yesterday. “I disagree with what he’s done, and I disagree with the reasons he’s put forward for doing it.”
Well, that’s constructive! My instant reaction is that if Conley doesn’t like it, maybe there’s something good about it.
Our hardworking District Attorney should start taking a couple of deep breaths before responding to the press. I remember this great quote in the Globe in Feb 05 from the unrepentant Brian McCaffrey US Drug Czar after a similar indiscretion –I’m often wrong but I’m never in doubt.
Obviously, this whole situation bears watching, but what we see has little to do with reality. The murder rate is skyrocketing, to be sure. Why? Are the police or the DA’s office letting this go on? By incompetence or by purpose? Hasn’t it seemed odd to anyone that witnesses are interviewed in the same street that the murder happened?
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There’s a reason that people don’t want jury duty. They’re afraid. They trust the BPD and DA’s office as much as they trust the street gangs.
They trust the BPD and DA’s office as much as they trust the street gangs.
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We were advised long ago not to tell the police department that we were going to go on vacation. And this was in Wellesley.
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We had a burglar alarm system installed shortly after we moved in. Three lines to the central station, including a radio link.
One homicide is too many, but could you provide some context? This year’s rate is about the same as the last couple of years, which is higher than the late 90’s, but much lower than the early 90’s.
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Appreciate it.
per capita, twice that of NYC and almost as bad as Miami.
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Is it ok to keep the statistic the same year to year? I thot progress had something to do with improving life.
That was my reaction precisely, Charley.
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I want to see a full analysis from Ernie Boch III by 9am Monday.
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Seems like: Ed Davis is making all the right moves. Lowell’s loss = Boston’s gain.
way to go grasshopper
and four thousand rape kits sitting on the shelf at the state police crime lab.
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The office of the inspector general is going to look into it? Are you kidding me> Sixteen thousand cases. How is this possible> It’s been apparently going on for almost twenty years?
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There should be a lot of answers forthcoming. The folks in charge of the stste police cannot plead ignorance of sixteen thousand cases. This is gross and criminal negligence!
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Conley is just an idiot. He has to make noise once in a while so we know he is still alive.
I would expect that the backlog of work can only be done by people trained to do forensics. If that’s true, it seems that the problem is that there aren’t enough forensic criminologists [or whatever they’re called] on the payroll. Not enough people, not enough equipment, or both.
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If that’s true, would money from the lege help? How much money? How much help?
All I know I learned on CSI
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An article in a recent issue of Scientific American indicated (seriously) that half the tests supposedly undertaken on CSI don’t exist and most of the databases referenced on CSI also don’t exist. The article called it the SCIification of the criminal justice system.
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On a serious note (and I know that your comment was meant in jest), I actually do have a serious question regarding the preceding comment
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Coupled with SIXTEEN THOUSAND forensic cases and four thousand rape kits sitting on the shelf at the state police crime lab.
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um, has anyone asked whether either the prosecution or the defense asked for an analysis of that material in any of those cases? It strikes me that it is a waste of time for the crime lab won’t do an analysis of the evidence unless either the prosecution or the defense asks for an analysis.
As it stands now, that money is being funnelled to “ancillary” court personnel who are simply pals of some court empoyee or a pol.
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Romney wanted to hire scores of forensic personnel. The legislature was unccoperative.
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Welcome to MA.If you are the victim of a crime, apparently your only recourse is the vigilanties. It seems with Suffolk counties track record of imprisonning innocent people that vigilantism may not be an imprudent recourse.
“Justfiable homicide your honor.”
because of understaffing, underfunding, and an increasing caseload. As someone else already pointed out, working at the state police crime lab requires a certain level of skill and education. A major problem is not just hiring, but retaining, qualified individuals. The problem is similar to the one that exists in DA’s offices across the Commonwealth: the Legislature is paying extraordinarily low salaries to individuals who often have a great deal of education related debt, and who are fully capable of obtaining employment in the lucrative private sector- after getting their two years of training and experience working for the Commonwealth. Another major issue is that the crime lab is forced to basically prioritize their caseload because these days, no matter what type of case it is, juries want to see DNA evidence, forensic evidence, etc. So supposedly homicides and rapes are high priority, although getting the lab results in those cases is also delayed. The bottom line is, there’s no way in the world that the number of scientists working at the crime lab at the moment can both clear the backlog and handle the increasing number of incoming cases. In my opinion, the Legislature needs to begin prioritizing the funding of law enforcement- which means more than just paying out high salaries to select individuals involved in law enforcement at the state level.
and if the Lt’s, Capt’s, Maj’s and Lt Col’s on the state police assigned to the crime lab had spent less time playing golf, or running errands, and more time supervising and documenting the problems at the crime lab, perhaps they wouldn’t be facing this debacle.
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The problem with the state police is that it is now a good ole boy/good ole girl gaggle of incompetence. Accountability is nowhere to be found. But that’s OK because the public/electorate has an attention span of ten days.
Everything you say makes sense, but the incomptence settles in as cement, keeping anyone with talent from entering. The pols fill the positions with slugs that cry they know or are related to so&so and aren’t supposed to learn how to do their jobs. The sit for hours on end talking about all their pol friends. When bright people show up for an interview, it doesn’t matter, because a slug is already chosen. The bright person was just there so it may be written that the slug was the best choice. When a slug does something so totally outrageous that he or she has to be fired, they sue, make $100,000 and get another state job. I don’t think that culture is going to change within my lifetime.
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The only alternative I see is that if we need forensic analysis, and I think we do, just send evidence out of state and pay another state to process it. That way the pols and slugs can maintain their status quo and work may still get done.
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And they say crime doesn’t pay…