A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 22-78, regarding safety concerns at the LBJ Apartment building

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 125 SIXTH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142 TELEPHONE [phone removed] WEB www.cambridgepolice.org FACEBOOK facebook.com/CambridgePolice TWITTER twitter.com/CambridgePolice Yi-An Huang City Manager Christine Elow Police Commissioner To: City Manager, Yi-An Huang From: Police Commissioner, Christine Elow Date: February 13, 2023 Ref.: Awaiting Report 2022-277 – LBJ Apartment Building & Safety The purpose of this response is to address Awaiting Report #22-277, whereby the City Manager is requested to direct the Police Commissioner to convene a meeting with the LBJ tenant community to address their concerns about undesirable and threatening behavior in and near the LBJ Apartment building. The Police Department has taken the following measures in response to this order: • The Cambridge Police Department has been investing additional resources, time, and energy into the increased safety and wellness of the greater Central Square area, including the LBJ Apartments and Erie Street, following a recent increase of reported crimes and concerns in the area. • Several members of the Cambridge Police have connected with residents at the LBJ Apartments and other Cambridge Housing Properties through a series of recent events, including a Tenant Council meeting on July 5, a holiday lunch with residents on November 22, and a monthly birthday celebration on December 14. Additionally, 62 residents at the LBJ Apartments received gift bags from CPD’s annual Secret Santa for Seniors donation drive. This annual outreach has proved to be another important forum for our officers and staff to build relationships and trust with LBJ residents. • These efforts are supplementing patrol operations and the department’s “Park and Walk” program, in which officers are dispatched by Emergency Communications to LBJ Apartments at various times during the morning, afternoon, and night in between other calls for service. Overall, 163 “Park and Walks” took place in November and December through 2022. In addition, there have been 78 “Park & Walks” since the beginning of the year. These patrols are in addition to foot patrol officers assigned to Central Square every shift (7 days a week) and officers assigned to both Central and Harvard Square. For further visibility, another officer has been recently hired for our late afternoon/evening shift 7 days a week to enhance our visibility in Central Square’s high-activity locations.

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO 125 SIXTH STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02142 • Furthermore, officers in the Family and Social Justice Section have been conducting random check-ins multiple times a week at the apartment complex. While on-scene, officers have been seeking to locate and help anyone who may need services, as well as looking to identify any active substance use, abandoned property, trespassing violations inside and outside the building, and other quality-of-life issues. Check-ins are being conducted in the exterior of the building as well as in the lobby with check-ins taking place with employees working the front desk and property management. • The number of calls for service at the LBJ Apartments has declined in December compared to November following these concerted efforts. This has continued in 2023. We recognize that outreach and education are key aspects of any prevention strategy. The Police Department will continue to coordinate with the Cambridge Housing Authority, as well as our other city agency partners (particularly Cambridge Emergency Communications, Fire, Public Health, and Pro EMS) that communicate and/or work with the LBJ Apartments to make them aware of ongoing concerns. As always, if residents are ever suspicious or have been victimized by a crime, they are strongly encouraged to contact the Cambridge Police Department immediately. The Emergency Communications Department has met with Cambridge Housing Authority and Cambridge Police to strategize and plan for outreach efforts and community meetings at LBJ apartments and other CHA properties. They have committed to begin scheduling these meetings and look forward to continuing to build relationships and provide education on ways to contact the police and emergency services. We hope that this background provides sufficient insight into the work being done at this important building and their residents, what outreach has been conducted, and direction moving forward. If there are any additional questions, information needed or concerns regarding this matter, please let me know. Respectfully, Christine Elow Police Commissioner