In response to a recent decision to equip Northeastern University police officers with semi-automatic rifles, City Councilors Josh Zakim and Tito Jackson wrote a letter Thursday to the president of the university criticizing the Northeastern Police Department.
The letter called for open communication between the Northeastern Police Department and its surrounding community, which includes Roxbury and Mission Hill. The letter also condemned Northeastern for ignoring Boston Police Department Commissioner William Evans, who disapproved of the decision.
“We are particularly concerned that in addition to rejecting BPD’s suggestions, Northeastern completely failed to involve the community and its elected representatives in this decision,” Zakim and Jackson wrote.
Councilor Zakim said the problem with the decision is not only a question of whether it is appropriate to equip officers with assault rifles, but also the lack of transparency between Northeastern and the affected community.
“If a school like Northeastern is going to make that decision, they need to involve their community in that,” Zakim said. “I think it’s important that people are heard on these issues and not just the students, but also the residents and certainly the Boston Police Department and Commissioner Evans.”
Zakim said Northeastern did not give Commissioner Evans the proper opportunity to contribute to the decision.
“When the Boston Police Department and Commissioner Evans, who is a well-regarded, big-city police commissioner, objects to this in the middle of the city he is responsible for, I think there’s some serious question as to whether this is appropriate,” Zakim said.
The Boston Police Department also released a statement criticizing Northeastern’s decision, calling assault rifles unnecessary.
“The Boston Police Department is well-equipped and trained to respond within minutes to incidents that require an elevated tactical response,” BPD said in the statement. “What concerns the BPD is when we hear of certain campus police departments that are nestled within city neighborhood make decisions like this without including the Boston Police and other community stakeholders from the beginning.”
The Northeastern Police Department, which lists “open communication” as one of its core values on its website, defended the decision in a statement it released, saying that Northeastern PD works closely with other officials in the community.
“Like other universities with police departments, our officers are trained to employ a number of capabilities to protect the campus community, including the use of tactical rifles if necessary,” Northeastern said in the statement. “University officers work in close coordination with city and state law enforcement, including sharing information about the deployment of tactical capabilities.”
Several Boston residents said they disagreed with the decision to equip officers with semi-automatic rifles, while others said it is acceptable as long as the officers are properly trained.
Sarah White, 28, of the North End, said she thought it was dangerous to keep the guns in police cars.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea overall,” she said. “I mean, what if somebody gets into a cop car and uses it? I just think there’s more danger and it wouldn’t help that much.”
Michael Davis, 37, of Back Bay, said he saw no reason for officers to use assault rifles.
“[Shootings are] becoming a scary thing for college students, but assault rifles are scary too,” he said. “I don’t know, I guess I just don’t think they’ll be needed, and the Boston police have stuff like that and they can get there quickly. There’s just no need on a campus.”
John Ford, 67, of South Boston, was indifferent to the idea and said he hopes the officers will be adequately trained to use the guns.
“As long as they have the right training, I don’t see anything wrong with it,” he said. “The training is what makes a big difference. If they’re not trained so well, it’s not going to do any good.”
Kennedy serves as a city associate for the Daily Free Press. A freshman, she studies English with a minor in philosophy. As a journalist, Kennedy shows special interest in crime and local politics. You can follow her on Twitter at @stellarkenn.
