Boston Police Commision William Evans on Community Policing

   Boston Police Commissioner William Evans

    For those of you who do not know who the police commissioner of Boston Police Department he is a local by the name of William Evans. Being commissioner for over two years now, Commissioner Evans has had great impacts on the department and City of Boston.

BPD news feed

    Not long ago, Evans was accredited with superbly handling the apprehension of the Marathon Bomber in Watertown. He was originally an Incident Commander on the night that the bomber was located in a boat in the backyard of a Watertown home. Evans gave the strategic order to "cease fire" on the boat for he did not want cross fire to harm the many officers that were surrounding the area. This call potential saved the lives of officers from cross fire.

Scene of the apprehension of Tsarnaev

   Now, being Commissioner, Evans has adopted a style of community policing that he says is due to his nature of being born and raised in South Boston.  Still living with his wife and two children in the same neighborhood he grew up in, Evans is a true spirit of Boston. After escaping a soon to be troubled childhood by attending religious school, Evans followed the ways of one of his older brothers and became a police officer.

Evans (Right) talks about the night in Watertown

  One event of notoriety that Evans had was during the Black Lives Matter Protest in Boston last year. Evans had recognized some of the protestors as Occupy Protestors from the previous year. He personally went down everyday and made relations with them. This a form of community policing. By Evans meeting with the protestors and learning why they are there, created trust amongst the parties instead of hatred and conflict.

Interview on Boston Black Lives Matter Protest

  One of the protestors who had gotten to know Evans on a face to face basis, Duncan McKenna, even ask Evans to write him a letter of recommendation to college. Evans of which replied,  “Oh yes, I’d be happy to." In an interview Evans claims it is his humble origins that allow for him to adopt this kind of community policing and helping others succeed.

   Another significant element on Evan's community policing tactics, are his theories and strategies in dealing with minorities groups. His theory is that by using "dialogue" and talking out issues with officers and minority groups, violence could be reduced. Michael Curry, the NAACP Boston branch president says,

“I get the impression he wants his legacy to be a commissioner that knows he wants his officers to engage people differently, Whether that will happen, whether that culture will change for some cops who do that I don’t know, but I’m anxious and excited to see a commissioner that’s willing to have the conversation and willing to demand more of his officers as they engage our communities.”

Curry and Evans work together on a social task force to review police stops of minoritys to ensure that there are not disproportionate stops of black or Hispanics residents.