That the City Manager is requested to consult with the Police Commissioner, the Director of the Cambridge Housing Authority, and all other pertinent individuals to determine the feasibility of piloting a program of assigning additional security officers to work collaboratively with and exclusively within Cambridge Housing Authority premises in and near Central Square and the Port

City of Cambridge O-2 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL October 21, 2019 COUNCILLOR SIMMONS COUNCILLOR MALLON MAYOR MCGOVERN WHEREAS: On August 1, 2016, the City Council discussed a Policy Order that was brought forward following a series of violent incidents that had taken place near Central Square and the Port that had left residents of those areas feeling particularly rattled, particularly in the wake of the murder of Anthony Clay; and WHEREAS: That Policy Order stated that the office of then-Mayor Simmons had “…held public meetings focusing upon ways of bringing community leaders and stakeholders together to proactively curb the increase in violence that has typically been seen in Cambridge and other cities during the summer months,” and that one of the suggestions stemming from these meetings was that the City and the Cambridge Housing Authority might wish to pilot a program that would bring additional security officers to CHA buildings, similar to a program that had recently been conducted in Boston; and WHEREAS: The August 1, 2016 Policy Order also stated that “…there is a sense that having additional officers who are stationed in and focused exclusively upon building stronger relationships around Cambridge Housing Authority properties could have an appreciable impact upon reducing the opportunities for violent episodes” in those buildings and making the tenants feel safer; and WHEREAS: Unfortunately, that Policy Order was met with resistance and was referred to a committee, yet the concerns around building security from tenants in CHA buildings in Central Square and the Port very much remain a constant, and tenants in these buildings have been making renewed requests to members of the City Council to help bring about new security measures in these buildings; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to consult with the Police Commissioner, the Director of the Cambridge Housing Authority, and all other pertinent individuals to determine the feasibility of piloting a program of assigning additional security officers to work collaboratively with and exclusively within Cambridge Housing Authority premises in and near Central Square and the Port, and to report back to the City Council on this in a timely manner.