Why do we have a separate MBTA police department?
On Blue Mass. Group, David rounds up the news about DA Conley, Boston Police and MBTA murder investigations (such as the fact Conley made his decision to shift these rare investigations to State Police without ever talking to the head of the State Police). It'd all be pretty funny if it didn't involve serious crime (like: how is shifting investigations of one or two murder cases a year to State Police really going to help solve Boston PD manpower issues?).
But it all brings up another question: Why do we have an MBTA police department? Today's Globe story on the imbroglio has a quote from an MBTA mouthpiece that the whole thing makes no difference to his force; just means they'll have another department to hand investigations over to.
Sure, the MBTA's jurisdiction extends beyond Boston's borders. But how many crimes on MBTA property also extend into multiple jurisdictions? If we can get rid of the MDC, Capitol and Boston Municipal police forces without the world coming to an end (and if New York can merge its city and transit police forces), why not merge the T force with Boston's and give jurisdiction of non-Boston stations to the cities and towns they're in? I'm betting these stats will show the bulk of MBTA crime happens within Boston, anyway (after work, I'll take a look).
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Where have all the cops gone
Not against any merger, but...
We got rid of the capitol police - now 80% of the park rangers in the state patrol the state house.
We got rid of the MDC police. Now there aren't any patrols in our state parks. (the one cruiser sitting in his car reading a paper doesn't count)
So they merge the MBTA police into the Stte police. You really think you're going to have a police presence on trains buses and platforms any more?
sub-merging
you are 100% correct Southendie. merging T Police with State Police would be a disaster. it would only give the current force another excuse to being standing outside of stations.. instead of inside (and on train platforms), where they should be.
also lost in this discussion is one big point: in the last 2 years and 10 months, there have only been 3 homicides on the T. How many in Boston during that period? more than 200
Not State Police!
BPD. Given that most of the crime in the system happens within Boston, and most of that probably has connections to other things going on in the city, it would make more sense - see the merger of the NYPD and transit police.
One difference from NYC
the New York City subway and bus systems are entirely within the city limits of New York. (I'm not counting PATH, which belongs to the Port Authority and probably has its own police.)
Suicides unfortunately do happen on parts of the T that are outside city limits -- I remember one in Davis a few years back.
Oh, right, but ...
I didn't mean that crime never happens on T property outside Boston (sorry if it seemed that way) but that you don't tend to have potential cross-jurisdictional crimes, such as somebody robbing a store in Downtown Crossing, getting on the Orange Line, robbing a store in Malden, etc. (and even if you did, local police departments and district attorney's offices already have procedures in place for handling them).
Where have all the cops gone
I think South Endie's rationale was the one used when the merger of the State, Registry, MDC, and Capitol police took place in the 1980's. On the basis of minimal information, I think I'd agree.