Malden, Mass. — Responding to increasing public concerns about the escalation of criminal activity in parks and other public areas, Malden Police at the request of Police Chief James Holland, joined by several law enforcement agencies from surrounding communities and county and state police units, conducted a comprehensive sweep of playgrounds, parks and other public areas on Friday (September 14) night to send a message that criminal conduct will not be tolerated in Malden.
Boston Police K-9 unit’s demo by Lissett Garcia and Gregg Bowden at National Night Out on August 7, 2012 in Boston Chinatown.
Malden K-9 was assisted by officers and K-9 units from Everett, Chelsea, Medford, Revere, Saugus, Somerville and Winchester. Valuable support was also provided by the Massachusetts State Police, Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, Essex Sherriff’s Office and the Metro North Gang Task Force. The State Police Air Wing helicopter patrol was on standby during the effort.
| The collaborative effort began earlier in the day as plainclothes detectives from participating law enforcement agencies scouted areas previously impacted by criminal activity. Based upon these observations and led by Officer Michael Polston of the Malden K-9 Unit and Crime Prevention Officer George MacKay, law enforcement personnel planned a coordinated and comprehensive sweep of these areas. |
Miller Park, Tartikoff Park, Roosevelt Park, South Broadway Park, the Linden School Lot and Park, Ferryway School and Park and Lincoln Commons were all part of the operation. At each stop, law enforcement officials interviewed youth and cleared the areas. The officers confiscated a small amount of marijuana. Malden Square and the MBTA area were also swept and those loitering were cleared out. The effort did not end until nearly 1:00 AM after a second sweep of Tartikoff Park. No arrests were made.
A total of 16 “dual purpose” canines, which sniff for both illegal narcotics and guns were used in the effort. The City of Malden incurred no expense in relation to this sweep, as each participating agency donated its resources to the endeavor. Sweep Teams regularly collaborate across the state in visiting areas which are impacted by criminal activity.
“Criminal activity affects all of our communities, and through this collaborative effort we look out for one another,” said Officer Polston. Officer Polston also noted that as the Officers traveled through the Newland Street area, neighbors were coming out of their homes and clapping and cheering them on.
| “More K-9 Sweeps of Malden are planned in an effort to get the message out that we will not tolerate violence in our community,” said Mayor Christenson. “I applaud Chief Holland, Officer Polston and the entire Police Department along with assisting law enforcement agencies on a well executed effort. I also want to thank the City Council for their enthusiastic support of this initiative.” |