Pubdate: Mon, 07 Jan 2013
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2013 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Shelley Murphy, Globe staff

STATE POLICE DISBAND DRUG AND AUTO THEFT UNITS

Budget Constraints Shut Down Two Special Units

The head of the State Police said he has disbanded the agency's
decades-old drug diversion unit and auto theft strike force to deal
with current realities: a shortage of troopers, a budget shortfall,
and increased responsibilities.

Colonel Timothy P. Albensaid the dissolution of the two squads at the
end of December allowed him to shift 25troopers to the Massachusetts
Turnpike and Logan International Airport, both areas where police
vacancies have gone unfilled and more forces were needed. He said it
will also help him reduce a $3 million deficit in this year's State
Police budget because their salaries will come from the highway and
airport budgets.

"We are trying to show we are being diligent with taxpayer dollars and
putting resources toward issues most important to people of
Massachusetts," Alben said in a phone interview Thursday. "We are at
the mercy of the economy."

But the dissolution of the eight-member drug diversion unit, which was
created in 1974 to target the theft and illegal distribution of
prescription drugs, drew sharp criticism from a South Boston
legislator who called the rampant abuse of OxyContin, heroin, and
other drugs one of the biggest issues facing the state.

"I'm disappointed to hear the State Police are disbanding this unit,
it suggests that their priority isn't there anymore," said
Representative Nick Collins, a Democrat. "We're looking at a situation
not just in my community, but across Massachusetts, that is epidemic.
More and more deaths happen every year and shouldn't. . . . To me this
is the number one public safety challenge that we're facing in the
Commonwealth."

Alben said the State Police are not abandoning the types of
investigations handled by the drug diversion unit; those cases will be
handled by State Police narcotics units assigned to the district
attorneys. Legislation passed last year cracking down on prescription
drug abuse will probably lead to more investigations by local police,
he said.

The law requires drug manufacturers, dispensers, and distributors -
including doctors and pharmacists - to report the loss or theft of
controlled substances to local police, where previously, only State
Police and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration were notified.

Collins, one of the staunchest supporters of the legislation, said the
goal was to focus more law enforcement attention on prescription drug
abuse.

"Though federal and local law enforcement agencies play a significant
role, we need a full team effort to fight this battle and by
disbanding their drug diversion unit, the State Police seem to not
want to be on the team," he said.

Alben said that in addition to this fiscal year's $3 million deficit,
State Police are facing a dwindling workforce and increased
responsibilities. He moved 17 troopers to the Massachusetts Turnpike
and eight to Logan International Airport. He said the troopers are
moving into jobs that had remained unfilled after retirements. Their
salaries are paid by the Department of Transportation and the
Massachusetts Port Authority.

Alben, who was sworn in as head of the State Police last July, said
the department has lost about 500 troopers through attrition since
2006 and is desperate to replenish its ranks, currently at 2,187
troopers. A new class of 150 recruits is slated to report in June, but
Alben said the department needs $10 million get them through training.

More troopers are especially important now, Alben said, because State
Police have been given the added responsibility of providing security
for casinos.

"This comes to a point where this really starts hurting public safety,
and I think we are at that point now," said Alben, referring to the
need for more troopers.

He lauded the work of the drug unit and the auto theft strike force,
but said he plans to focus more on violent crime, gangs, cracking down
on drunk drivers, and homeland security.

The 17-member auto theft strike force made 328 arrests in 2011 and
recovered vehicles valued at $9.67 million. The squad was created by
Governor Michael Dukakis in 1983 when the state was dubbed the stolen
car capital of the nation by officials who said that the previous
year, more cars were stolen in Massachusetts per 100,000 residents
than in any other state.

Though California has consistently led the nation in total cars
stolen, Massachusetts ranked third from 1971 to 1976, peaking at
91,563 in 1975, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics.

In 2011, the latest year that statistics were available, Massachusetts
was ranked the 21st state in the nation, with 10,786 cars stolen.

Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau
headquartered in Illinois, said car theft rates have dropped
dramatically in recent years with new antitheft and tracking
technology, and police departments around the country have disbanded
specialized auto theft units to devote more resources to other crimes.

"It doesn't mean it's not still a problem in some areas," Scafidi
said. "But if you're a police department in LA and have gangs,
burglaries, drive-by shootings, and no-victim auto theft cases, you
can almost guess where that is going to fall on their list of things
to do."

Despite the successes, according to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, a car is stolen in the United States every 33
seconds and only 57 percent of those reported stolen are recovered.

The disbanding of Massachusetts' auto theft strike force also marks
the end of a state-operated hot line that the public called to leave
the State Police confidential tips about stolen cars. Alben said the
public should call 911 or their local police with tips.

Scafidi said the National Insurance Crime Bureau operates a nationwide
hot line and urges people to call anonymously with tips on insurance
fraud, vehicle theft, and chop shops. The tips called into the number,
800-TEL-NICB, are monitored by the nonprofit agency and referred to
local police.

"I would be surprised if there's not some kind of follow-up regardless
of how many specialized units exist or don't exist," Scafidi said.
"Crime is crime and cops at the end of the day like to put bad guys in
jail." 
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