Governor Baker, with Mayor Daniel Rivera, Senator Barbara L’Italien, State Representative Frank Moran, State Representative Marcos Devers and State Representative Diana DiZoglio announce pm Thursday, March 17th the hiring of eight new police officers as a result of a Massachusetts Municipal Public Safety Staffing Grant awarded to Lawrence in the amount of $1,005,037.67.
The announcement came after Governor Baker toured the Lawrence Police Department Headquarters as part of Mayor Rivera’s mission to get state officials to Lawrence to determine a need for a new police station.
“I want to first thank Governor Baker for ensuring that the budget he signed included these resources for Lawrence. I also want to thank the hard work of our state delegation that fought to get this staffing grant for Lawrence. We have shown, if given more police resources, we can make Lawrence safer. In the last two years after having added 14 police officers, we’ve seen a 19% drop in violent crime and a 22% drop in residential burglaries and a 17.3% decrease in overall crime. That means there were 422 less victims of crime overall, almost 200 less people had their cars stolen, the lowest number since 2009 and 154 less robberies and residential burglaries. These resources are having their effect.” said Mayor Dan Rivera.
“Also, we would like to thank Governor Baker for coming to Lawrence to see the deplorable condition of our police headquarters first-hand. The Lawrence Police Headquarters is a full time, hardworking department that saw 54,000 calls for service and made 3,000 arrests last year and they deserve a first rate, world class headquarters. I am excited that we are taking another step towards building a 21st century Urban Police Training Center with Northern Essex Community College, police headquarters and home for the Massachusetts Police Training Council,” added Mayor Rivera.
“Providing our front-line personnel with the tools to disrupt drug traffickers is an important part of supporting safe communities,” said Governor Baker. “I am grateful for Mayor Rivera’s partnership as we work together at the city and state level to stem the flow of dangerous narcotics and provide new public health tools to individuals facing addiction.”
“This public safety staffing grant is great news for the city and its police department and will have a direct impact on fighting crime and keeping people in Lawrence safe,” said Senator Barbara L’Italien, chairwoman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee of Municipalities and Regional Government. “I’m pleased that Governor Baker has come to see for himself how cramped, outdated and deteriorated the Lawrence police station is. Lawrence residents as well as the city’s police officers need and deserve a modern station, and they have been waiting a long time for a proposal to move forward.”
“This grant ensures that public safety staffing, directed patrols, and local policing strategies continue to meet the needs of our community at the highest standard,” said State Representative Frank Moran.
“I am pleased to support, advocate and join my colleagues and partners at the state government to bring this staffing grant to the City of Lawrence. It is important to continue to bring these resources into our community to increase safety and quality of life for our resident,” said Representative Marcos Devers.
“I am honored to join my fellow colleagues in the Lawrence legislative delegation in welcoming Governor Baker for a tour of the Lawrence Police Station. The Governor’s visit comes at an important time, following the awarding of a critical municipal staffing grant to the City of Lawrence, which will greatly help the Police Department in its efforts to hire new officers and continue to promote public safety in our communities,” said Representative Diana DiZoglio.
