Boston Police Department Commissioner William Evans made a familiar claim last week. As he’s done before, during one of his regular rap sessions with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on their WGBH show Boston Public Radio, Evans said the media unfairly focuses on BPD fumbles. “You don’t hear about the good things,” the commissioner argued.
Though Jim and Margery are reluctant to call him on it, Evans is completely full of shit. Or he doesn’t have the internet. One or the other. To show the extent to which his department is actually showered with positive press, we plugged “Boston Police Department” into the Google machine, and parsed all of the puffery from just October into four distinct categories.
JOB WELL DONE
Boston Police subdue man with BB gun
The Boston Globe (Oct 17, 2015)
Violent crime in Boston on decline since previous year
Daily Free Press (Oct 15, 2015)
Boston Police found a trove of illegal dirt bikes in Dorchester
Boston.com (Oct 24, 2015)
Police rescue man who fell off Boston pier early Saturday
The Boston Globe (Oct 26, 2015)
Boston Man Charged In Long-Unsolved Slaying Of Tufts Grad
CBS Local (Oct 1, 2015)
Police impound illegal dirt bikes in Dorchester
My Fox Boston (Oct 24, 2015)
HISTORIC BPD ACHIEVEMENTS IN COMMUNITY POLICING
Boston police officer targets driver just to tell him how great his license plate is
Bizpac Review (Oct 3, 2015)
Boston Police pulled this man over for a very heartwarming reason
BDCwire (Oct 2, 2015)
Boston Officer Stops Man to Praise His License Plate
KFDX (Oct 2, 2015)
The amazing reason a local man was pulled over by a Boston Police officer
My Fox Boston (Oct 2, 2015)
Eastie Times (Oct 22, 2015)
Community walks credited with building rapport
The Boston Globe (Oct 20, 2015)
City of Boston Selects 11 Locals for New Artist-in-Residence Program
Boston Magazine (Oct 23, 2015)
Murphy school kids meet the ‘Humans Behind the Badges’
Dorchester Reporter (Oct 1, 2015)
THAT POLICE DOG SURE IS CUTE
Tuco the K9 now in training with Boston Police Department
WHDH-TV (Oct 7, 2015)
Boston Police K-9 Finally Grows Into Oversized Vest
CBS Local (Oct 7, 2015)
Viral Boston police pup getting ready for duty
Boston.com (Oct 7, 2015)
Boston Police K-9 Growing Quickly
NECN (Oct 11, 2015)
Puppy Trying On Boston Police Department K-9 Vest Is Criminally Cute
The Huffington Post (Oct 28, 2015)
HOW INNOVATIVE!
Boston Police Commissioner Hopes To Test Body Cameras By April
WGBH (Oct 28, 2015)
Guns taken off Boston streets are turned into manhole covers
MassLive.com (Oct 12, 2015)
Mayor, police commissioner to share policing tactics at DC summit
The Boston Globe (Oct 6, 2015)
A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
