THE QUESTION I [Dick Lehr] have for Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis is this: Why does it take a federal judge to throw a judicial tantrum about a lying cop before the Boston Police Department investigates one of its own?

Transcript of Police Commissioner Ed Davis's statement at a news conference today on Justin Barrett's e-mail to Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham:

The Boston Police Department is committed to a standard of excellence. Our community rightly has high expectations for us. It is a standard that the community deserves and we are required to meet. Officer Barrett's actions do not comply with those expectations.

Barrett's email was racist and inflammatory. These racist opinions and feelings have no place in this department or in our society and will not be tolerated.

Barrett's comments were directed at Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates. I regret the direct insult toward Professor Gates and have personally reached out to him to apologize for this offense and inform him of the Department's immediate efforts to make this officer accountable. ...

UPDATE: Channel 25 has posted a copy of the message, which is not just racist but misogynist.

A cop who works in Area B-3 - which covers Mattapan and Dorchester - faces termination for sending out a mass e-mail in which he referred to Henry Louis Gates as "a jungle monkey," Channel 5 reports.

Justin Barrett, 36, was suspended pending a hearing on whether he should be kicked off the force. The Herald reports Commissioner Ed Davis immediately stripped Barrett - also a member of the state National Guard - of his badge and gun.

Neither outlet is reporting exactly what was in the e-mail besides the slur. The Herald says a copy was re-mailed to the Globe, which, as I type, has yet to post anything. UPDATE: The Globe finally posted something, but also doesn't explain the context.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office announced today that Boston Police officers acted "lawfully and reasonably" when they used their guns to bring down an out-of-control Marquis Barker, who seemed desperate to commit suicide by cop after an argument with his wife in November, 2007:

If the attacked woman does sue, she'd run right into a a state law that limits the amount one can claim in a negligence suit against a public official (or public dog) to $100,000, the attorneys at Parker Scheer explain:

... The $100,000 limit, a figure established by Massachusetts law-makers long ago, would not begin to compensate a person who suffers debilitating injuries as a result of a dog attack. Nevertheless, the Massachusetts legislature has shown no interest in updating this antiquated law. In more "civilized" States, such as New York, the liability of a governmental body (such as a city or town) is treated no differently than an individual charged with the very same negligence. ...

The Globe reports a woman walking her own dog down Sturbridge Street in Mattapan this morning was attacked and bitten in the face by a Boston Police dog whose handler lives on the street.

Mayoral candidate Kevin McCrea says he would emulate a pilot state program and hire civilians to handle flagging at construction sites - but also make detail work available to police cadets who can't get on the BPD because of budget constraints:

The benefits of this are many. We allow police officers to be at their best for their important job of public safety. We help to lower the unemployment rate in Boston by hiring residents to fill these jobs. We lower taxes for Boston residents by lowering the costs of construction to our roads, bridges and buildings in the City of Boston. This can help lower the cost of building housing as well.

His complete statement:

Channel 4 reports. No word if any of the passengers was named Gidget.

The Herald reports the Sox offered up to $400,000 to save the Boston Police mounted unit, which often helped keep order around Fenway Park but that "the mayor looked a gift horse in the mouth and said 'neigh.' "

In a statement, Councilor and Would-Be Menino Replacement Yoon said:

Our mounted unit was an important community policing tool and public safety resource for our parks. News of its elimination prompted an outpouring from across the city of people pleading to save the unit. There were dozens of cost-saving reforms the mayor could have implemented to save the unit. But once again, Mayor Menino chose symbolism over substance.

Now we hear reports that the City turned down an offer from the Red Sox to continue funding the mounted unit. At a time when Boston is cutting back on schools, city services, and public safety, it would be shortsighted and foolish to reject an outstretched hand. The administration needs to clarify what happened and be transparent about any offers that were made regarding the mounted unit.

“These are the very public-private partnerships that can make our city great – and can transform education, athletics, and the arts for Boston's children. We need a mayor who can tap into all the generosity and talent that Boston has to offer.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said today that seven police officers have been suspended for steroid abuse following a three-year investigation.

Four other officers were suspended for "officer misconduct" at disgraced cop Kiko Pulido's illegal after-hours club at 24 Factory St. in Hyde Park (conveniently located right up the street from a BPD warehouse from which somebody kept stealing drugs a couple years back).

Another officer was given some unpaid time off for not reporting steroid use, Davis said in a statement.

In addition to the suspensions, Davis said he's ordered several steps to reduce future problems, including training supervisors in detecting signs of drug use, mandatory training for all officers on the health risks of anabolic steroids and pre-employment steroid screening of recruits. He said he is also looking at adding steroids to the list of drugs now screened for in annual drug tests and enacting a two-strikes-and-you're-out policy for steroids. These steps would require contract negotiations with unions representing officers.