Mass. to ‘double down’ on prevention of street takeovers with $14M in local safety grants
Massachusetts officials vowed on Thursday to continue cracking down on violent street takeovers , noting that a recent State Police operation resulted in hundreds of civil citations and a handful of arrests.
Gov. Maura Healey said her administration would distribute $14 million in "local safety grants" to 210 local police departments across the state and 10 state agencies as part of an effort to ensure the takeovers stop altogether.
At least four communities in Massachusetts saw violent street takeovers this month , including one such event in South Boston, where a police cruiser was set on fire . The events, typically organized on social media, are not isolated to Massachusetts but are part of a nationwide trend.
The State Police operation on Oct. 11 resulted in the issuance of 232 civil citations, 74 warnings and 20 criminal summons, Healey said. Police also arrested seven people, towed 15 cars, seized two vehicles under the Controlled Substances Act and recovered a stolen car.
But most critically, there were no street takeovers in the Bay State last weekend, officials said. The $14 million being doled out across the state represents Healey's administration "doubling down" on efforts to prevent such events, she said.
"We've got more work to do, of course, and we're going to continue to stay on it," Healey said. "I'm just proud of the great work of the police teams to get this done."
"Every resident of our state deserves to live in a community with a high quality of life and where public safety is assured," she continued.
Healey urged residents to share any information they find about takeovers, whether found on social media or through other means, to law enforcement. Speaking to those who organize and participate in the events, Healey said the state would continue to have zero tolerance.
"As shown by this past weekend's efforts, we'll find you. We'll hold you accountable," she said.
State Police Col. Geoff Noble noted that local officials identified street takeovers as a growing concern at a series of Public Safety Roundtables Healey and other leaders attended across the state.
"While we never underestimated the enormous complexity of these challenges, we knew as police commanders and as police chiefs and as public safety professionals that we could work together to develop effective solutions," Noble said.
Some local officials have linked the recent takeovers together, saying one group was responsible for much of the chaos. Noble pledged that officials would continue to investigate those connections, as well as any potential connection to other criminal organizations, like gangs.
"The work that we are talking about today is not isolated to an eight-hour operation," he said. "We certainly are doing everything we can to identify the organizers and the drivers of these major public safety concerns."
Preventing gatherings is critical, he explained, as a large police response could trigger additional public safety concerns.
"We don't want to respond to a street takeover at 2 a.m. with 200 cars and now we have 200 motorists fleeing at high rates of speed," he said. "The real challenge for law enforcement is to come at this with a real holistic approach."
Healey also addressed recent comments from President Donald Trump, suggesting he could take action to move the 2026 World Cup out of Boston (and Foxborough, where the matches would be played).
When asked about the takeovers, Trump blasted Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and said he would act if the city didn't "clean up its act."
Healey dismissed the president's comments as "political theater."
"The games are, of course, in Foxborough, and I think that [Patriots owner] Robert Kraft and the team have safety well in hand," she said, adding she didn't believe Trump actually had the authority to move the games. "I think it doesn't make any sense."
Threats from the Trump administration did not spur the recent action on the takeovers, Healey said.
"It's been important to ... make sure that every day we're showing up on public safety as I have, throughout my career," she said.
Street "takeovers"
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
