The Boston Strategy > Players > Police

	Mayor
	Police Commissioner Paul Evans Supt. in Chief, Ret. Faherty Supt. Paul Joyce Lt. Det. Gary French Sgt. Robert Merner Det. Tito Whittington Ptl. Mark Buchanan Ptl. Greg Brown
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Ptl. Mark Buchanan
Boston Police Department
Youth Violence Strike Force

The Boston Police Department has something going for it that I don't think any other police department has going for it: they have the support of the black community. They’ve got the support of the black clergy. Now, I don't know too many other cities where the police department can make that claim. But we can say that here, because it's a partnership. It's a partnership.

Before, I was just a regular patrolman, riding around in a cruiser, responding to calls and just seeing the negative side of life. And after a while, that really has an effect on you. I ended up not liking people, ‘cause I just saw people as problems. When they put me out walking, after six months my whole attitude changed. I had folks approaching me, just to talk, you know, "How you doing, Buck?" They started calling me by my first name, talking about their kids, the weather and it really made a difference for me.

The first prong of our attack was the enforcement end of it. But you can't keep knocking these kids in the head, locking them up, threatening them and not offer them something. So, this is the second prong: along with locking up these kids, the city has gone out of its way to create opportunities.

If you decide that you want to be a gang-banger, that you want to terrorize your neighborhood, you're gonna get crushed. This city will crush you. This was the warning. You have two choices. You can follow these gang members and you're gonna get the stick because there are several agencies that are prepared to deal with you, and you will be dealt with. Or, you can get involved with the churches, youth service officers, and the programs and jobs that they're going to get you. They're going to direct you and keep you from getting involved in all this negative activity. The choice is yours.

One day down at the Y after work, I'm working out and the general conversation in the gym is, "...the kids are this, the kids are that, they're bad, they're terrible, they don't want to do anything." And I was joining in the conversation. And in the middle of a sentence a little voice inside of me said, 'Hey, why don't you create something for these kids? And if they don't get involved, then you have a right to talk about them.' And I said, 'What can I do that these kids like?' And a little voice said, 'Well, you're lifting weights right now aren't you? Why don't you start a weight lifting program?' And I really fought against it. And I said, 'These kids don't want to lift weights. They only want to just hang out on a corner and get in trouble.' And after about two weeks I started to feel guilty not doing it. So I started the program, and low and behold, I had about 30 kids join up in the program–boys and girls.