POR 2017 #89 · Agenda item attachment · Mar 27 2017

City of Cambridge O-3 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL March 27, 2017 MAYOR SIMMONS VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN WHEREAS: In the years since the Cambridge Police Department relocated its headquarters from 5 Western Avenue to the new facility at 125 Sixth Street in East Cambridge, there has been a growing public perception that Central Square suffers from an increased amount of crime and people engaging in undesirable behavior, particularly during the evening hours in and around Carl Barron Plaza; and WHEREAS: Members of the community have repeatedly raised concerns with the City about this neighborhood, lamenting that many families and senior citizens steer clear of the area because they feel unsafe walking through Central Square due to the panhandling and other behaviors of many people who tend to congregate in Carl Barron Plaza; and WHEREAS: In response to these community concerns, the Cambridge Police have provided repeated assurances that there is a steady police presence in Central Square, that officers in uniform are routinely covering this beat, and that Central Square is just as safe, and the police response there just as swift, as when the Cambridge Police Department was located on Western Avenue; and WHEREAS: True as these repeated assurances may be, the public’s perception of Central Square as an unsafe neighborhood best to be avoided remains a steep and significant hurdle that must be effectively addressed if the City is truly serious about working to revitalize this most important district; and WHEREAS: There remains a vocal public desire for a more robust, more visible police presence, and many residents and business owners have urged for the installation of a physical Cambridge Police outpost situated in Carl Barron Plaza, which would provide an unmistakable signal that the City is making an aggressive effort to revitalize Central Square and provide a greater sense of safety to all who would come to this area; and WHEREAS: When this has been discussed in years past, Cambridge Police representatives had advised that such an outpost would be both unnecessary and redundant to the police presence already operating in the Square, yet the psychological comfort such an outpost could provide to business owners, business patrons, and pedestrians alike can no longer be overlooked or easily dismissed; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to consult with the Acting Police Commissioner with a view toward piloting a Cambridge Police outpost located in Carl Barron Plaza, to be ready for operation by Summer 2017, and to report back to the City Council on this matter in a timely manner.