Public Safety

Public Safety

Feds, Boston cops team up to get illegal guns off streets: Tiny but potent Taurus pistols key focus of search

By 
Stephen Kurkjian and Pat Tarantino, Special to The Reporter
Jan. 5, 2011

As the city struggles to contain a dramatic spike in gun violence, 18 handguns bought through an illegal straw purchase in Georgia in 2009 are believed to have wound up on the streets of Boston. So far two of the 18 handguns have been recovered by Boston Police officers, but, according to investigators the others are believed to be hidden here.

Handgun: Taurus describes its PT145 model this way: “Light, powerful and technically advanced, the Millennium PRO is the choice for concealment and back-up carry.”Handgun: Taurus describes its PT145 model this way: “Light, powerful and technically advanced, the Millennium PRO is the choice for concealment and back-up carry.”The handguns, all Taurus pistols and revolvers are preferred by gangbangers and street criminals because their deadly-powerful punch and their small size make it very easy to conceal.

The guns were bought, law enforcement officials say, over a two-month period in 2009 by two men whose criminal records prevented them from making the purchases personally; instead, they paid “straws,” in this case two women, to buy the weapons for them. According to a federal indictment handed down last month in Atlanta, the transactions took place without a hitch, and within weeks the guns were wreaking havoc on the streets of Boston.  Read more

Pod Life— Could this be the future of transport on Columbia Point?

Could this be the future of public transit in parts of Boston— perhaps even Dorchester's own Columbia Point? How about Blue Hill Avenue?

Moving around town in a solar-powered “pod” that cuts down on congestion, helps the environment and gives you your own space to breathe? Sounds like a storyboard from The Jetsons, but the technology exists and is advancing in other parts of the globe, especially in airports like London’s Heathrow, shown in this YouTube video:  Read more

Couple shot in car, baby in car seat unharmed

The Boston Police Department is investigating a midday shooting at Devon Street and Vaughan Avenue that sent a man and a woman to the hospital on Monday.  Read more

Hancock Street fire goes to two alarms, causes extensive damage

Fire on Hancock Street

271 Hancock St. Photo by BFD.

The Boston Fire Department reports a two-alarm fire that broke out around 5 p.m. on Sunday at 271 Hancock St. did an estimated $350,000 in damage.

The cause of the fire, which broke through the roof, is under investigation.

Man shot to death at Franklin Field

The Boston Police Department reports a man was shot around 9:45 p.m. at 70 Ames St. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.  Read more

Paul Cellucci’s legacy intact here

Gov. Paul Cellucci at Fields Corner station in Sept. 2000: Republican governor announced plans to rebuild Dot's crumbling MBTA stops. Photo by Bill ForryGov. Paul Cellucci at Fields Corner station in Sept. 2000: Republican governor announced plans to rebuild Dot's crumbling MBTA stops. Photo by Bill Forry

It’s easy to forget just how bad Dorchester’s MBTA stations were back in the 1990s. And it’s easier still to forget that the governor who finally cleared the way for a massive influx of state dollars to fix our now-modern Red Line stations was a Republican. Paul Cellucci, who died on Saturday at age 65 after battling ALS for the last few years, was a key figure in the restoration of our transit system locally; it was one of his many notable achievements in a long career of public service.  Read more

Capuano, Warren: Surveillance program info points to need for debate

By 
Andy Metzger, State House News Service
Jun. 10, 2013

With leaked revelations disclosing the scope of the federal government’s ability to peer into the public’s phone calls and email use, both U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Congressman John Tierney indicated the law that enabled the snooping will be up for scrutiny.  Read more

Early morning shooting in Ashmont sends teen to the hospital

The Boston Police Department reports a 16-year-old was shot around 1:40 a.m. on Sunday at Ashmont and Ocean streets.  Read more

Dorchester man charged with armed-robbery spree at McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts outlets

Charged with armed robbery

The Boston Police Department report arresting the man they say had robbed five McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts outlets in Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury over the past two weeks.  Read more

Man shot at Ashmont, store held up on Welles Avenue

A man's leg was grazed by a bullet around 10:20 p.m. on Thursday at the busway at Ashmont station.  Read more