By Bill Forry
Managing Editor

In an interview on Wednesday, Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole said she was still stunned by the "incredible turn of events" that led to her departure.

"I went for four days in this whirlwind," O'Toole told the Reporter. "In the end, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason."

Still, O'Toole said that the "media frenzy" surrounding her move was overblown and counterproductive, and was a factor that she said hastened her decision-making this week.

"I think there's been so much media frenzy," O'Toole said. "People should just calm down. We have extraordinary leaders in the ranks of the police department and it's the people on the front lines who are getting the job done."

"I was forced to make a quick decision and I did so yeterday, and since then I've been focused on the summer crime planning."

In a press conference on Tuesday, O'Toole said that she would likely stay in the commissioner's job until July 1. In remarks to the Reporter, O'Toole said that she would serve as long as the mayor wants.

"I'm committed to working with the mayor's office to make sure the transition will be smooth," she said.

"My number one priority right now is working closely with our command staff and City Hall on our summer plan, one that will be comprehensive in nature.

Some people may expect that because I've made this announcement, I'm moving on quickly. But I'll stay as long as it takes to ensure a smooth transition.

"Don't assume the worst here. No one is indispensible. No one person is going to address the problems we have alone. It's always worked in Boston because we've worked as a team."

"We're facing huge challenges right now. The irony is that part-one crime has been down. But, the main problem we have is that young people of color are committing violent acts on each other. And we're not going to arrest ourselves out of these problems."

O'Toole acknowledged the she was, like Menino, "very frustrated" by the lack of staff and resources at the BPD's disposal, a problem she and the mayor blame on a lack of federal financing.

"In spite of that, look at the productivity: We have fewer cops making more arrests. We made a record number of firearm arrests last year."

O'Toole said that a public outcry over last year's murder rate--the highest in a decade in Boston--was understandable.

"It's good that we have a low tolerance to violence- It's good that people get outraged because it forces us to deal with it. We now have a full squad of ATF officers here working with us. But, the police department and the ATF alone will certainly not solve the problem, at the end of day, if kids are willing to take guns into their hands to solve problems. We have to get to the social causes of that."

O'Toole told the Reporter that she felt that the speculation over her resignation--coupled with violence in the neighborhoods--stirred up a media firestorm that made the situation worse.

"The police department always has to have a good rumor du jour. It's really been no different than any other time in that respect.

But I was concerned by the media frenzy, even prior to my announcement. I am convinced it fuels the violence. If we glorify gang activity and gunfights, these kids certainly arent going to resist it.

"I respect media, but they too have a responsibility: Don't allow frenzy to spiral."

O'Toole's departure comes just three weeks after the controversial transfer of Area C-11 Captain Frank Armstrong, a popular field commander whose short tenure at the Fields Corner stationhouse was abruptly ended in April after a dispute with his commander, Superintendent Robert Dunford. O'Toole said Wednesday that sanctioning Armstrong's transfer from the high-profile Dorchester command to an evidence warehouse in Hyde Park, was a "no win situation."

"That was a very difficult move, one of more difficult moves I've had to make," O'Toole said of Armstrong's transfer. "It was a no-win situation.

If you square off publicly against your boss, in any organization, and took (him) on in a disrespectful way, there are reprecussions."

O'Toole called Armstrong "a fantastic guy, who is very, very smart, and he will enjoy a promising future in the BPD."

O'Toole said she would not comment on whom she would like to see take command next, either on an interim basis or permanently, saying to do so publicly would be "presumptuous."

"The mayor will take right course of action. That's why he's been in office for 12 years. If he asks for my opinions, I'm more than happy to give them," O'Toole said.