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Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Did I read the wrong article about the drunk driver? My understanding was a guy in his pathfinder was surrounded by a crowd of celebrators and, when he couldn't move forward or backward, gunned car, and ran people over. Is there anything cops really can do about that?
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I didn't read that, and I don't doubt it. Still, a 1000 people on a street (e.g., on a street full of bars) is a perfect reason to shut the street down to vehicle traffic for 30 or 45 minutes until the crowd cools off. Longer if necessary. In the alternative, 100 people on every street can be easily controlled by mobile teams of 20-40 officers. They just go to where the people are acting stupid.
In the Boston case, I'm confident that the answer would have been to shut the streets to vehicular traffic temporarily.
And when you have the manpower to clear the streets, than you do so.
To update the story, today's Globe says the dead kids father is a captain in the state police. I'm sure professional courtesy has him biting his tongue (which is why the mother was mouthing), but he more than anyone is in a place to criticize. One of the things that is typically done, is the state police are part of the plan, and they provide a lot of specialized resources (helicopters, security for government buildings) to supplement the locals. Assuming (and I haven't heard anything either way) that the state police weren't on standby or out in force either, I wonder if they maybe offered to provide troops but were turned down. If the possibility of largescale disturbances was missed by both agencies (and others, like nearby suburbs), I'd be extremely surprised.
Seriously, this is the kind of thing that gets local emergency workers cheering against their hometeams weeks before the championship (superbowl).
In even more news, the new commissioner called the mom and then sat down with her. While it sounded like she wasn't throwing accusations out towards her predecessor, the mom gave her glowing reviews and said she seemed to be a "wonderful person" or something like that.
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