Officers from the area B-3 police station held a monthly community meeting at the Mattapan Public Library on Tuesday evening. The event marked the station’s first public meeting since November 2010. Meetings in January and February were cancelled due to inclement weather.

The main topic of discussion was the Partnerships Advancing Community Together (PACT) program, an initiative spearheaded by police Superintendant Paul Joyce. The mutli-agency effort targets 240 young male criminals--known as “shooters”--suspected of deep involvement with gangs. The program, which has been running since July 2010, is approaching its eight-month evaluation. Joyce announced that the program willl also reach out to the families of the 240 targeted criminals--especially to younger siblings--in an attempt to curtail further involvement in gangs.

B-3 detectives also announced a significant decline in several crime categories in the district, including a 10 percent drop in assault and nearly a 50 percent drop in breaking and entering compared to crime levels in 2010.

About 150 residents turned out for the meeting, which has been steadily growing in attendance since the first session a year ago. Due to concerns of space and parking ability, organizers are considering other locations for future meetings, though no final decision has been made.