Safety Committee Meeting 10-19-21 Minutes
Chairs: Jennifer Deabler, Dianne Lescinskas
Minute taker: Doreen Miller
Special Guests: Community Service Officers – Superintendent Nora Baston, Officer Emmanuel Dambreville
Total in attendance: 15
Boston Community Service Officers (Sup. Nora Baston)
- Superintendent Nora Baston – 18 years in the department
- Mission – to build relationships and trust in the community
- Small department of ten officers
- Three of the ten are liaisons for elderly, housing, and handicapped.
- Focus on hotspots
- Resource officer: Officer Timothy Wilson
- Outreach – via
- Clubs
- Community groups
- Schools
- Charitable Organizations
- Social Media
- Twitter: @ superbaston
- Facebook, Instagram – look up Nora Baston
- Youth programs – around 40 kids in each program. Examples:
- Grow Girls
- Acting program
- Sports
- We Belong
- More on the role of Community Service Officers (CSO) (Officer Manny)
- Target groups – Middle school through college
- Purpose – Action Oriented
- Mentoring
- Teaching
- Providing Role models
- Providing Intervention – working with the courts
- Assisting where there is a need
- During Covid
- Provided PPEs
- Worked with Catholic Charities
- Helped families in need
- During Covid
- Building community by fighting polarization
- Affecting positive change to unite people – “Program: Heal Boston”
- Getting teens involved in community service
- Providing diversion work – to get and keep kids on the right track
- Including a spiritual dimension – God and prayer.
- C-11 CSO officers – five of them
- Superintendent Baston will provide names, roles/focus, and contact information for the chairs to share with the association members.
- Twitter for C11: @C11CSOGD
- Funding
- Not paid by the Boston Police
- Mostly subsidized through grants
- Needs/Issues
- Space
- Funding
- Resources
- To create positive image
- To push careers
- To create a healthy community
- To build bridges: relations and communication
- Public Image
- The narrative on TV does not reflect what is happening in the community.
- Change the narrative
- Coffee with Cops
- Flashlight Walks
- Focus on success stories
- Events in the community
- Send notice of events ahead of time to Officer Timothy Golden, contact information forthcoming
- Officers will try to be present to foster relationships with community members.
- Traffic Issues
- “Auto-man” Officer Devon Cornelius, 7:30 AM – 4 PM, 617-343-4330
- Plan a future meeting to strategize problem solving.
- Issues include
- Need of a flashing stop sign at Buttonwood and Grafton Streets
- Need of a cross walk at the Savin Hill Tennis Courts
- A safety issue for Tenacity kids and people using the courts
- Call 311 – Use the buzzwords “Safety Issue.”
- Will work with us to get both of the above done
- Supt. Nora will get us a contact name in the transportation department.
- CSO Contact information
- Superintendent Nora Baston: (cell) 617-592-9471, nora.baston@pd.boston.gov
- Officer Manny: Emmanuel.dambreville@pd.boston.gov
Northstar Program – for those with disabilities
- Brings families together
- Forms Friendships
- Gets officers involved with those with disabilities
- Creates a better understanding of how to properly interact with those with disabilities
- Sends out alerts for missing persons
Cristo Rey High School (Rosemary Powers, president)
- Located on Savin Hill Avenue
- Invited Superintendent Baston to sit down with Rosemary regarding the school.
- Planning an open house late 2021/early 2022.
- Would like to get the students more involved in the community
- Contact the school for any issues – good or bad.
Final Notes
- The coyotes are back in Savin Hill. Keep small pets indoors.
- A crosswalk was painted at Old Colony Terrace and Savin Hill Avenue.
- Special thanks to Councilor Frank Baker and his assistant Julie Ryan for being persistent.
- Sends a strong message that drivers are entering a residential area.
Next Meeting – Tuesday, November 16th, 7 PM on Zoom