The mission of the Police Department is Neighborhood Policing. The Department dedicates itself to work in partnership with the community to fight crime, reduce fear, and improve the quality of life in Boston's neighborhoods.

• FY09 Quarter 4 Performance Report 
• FY09 Quarter 3 Performance Report 
• FY09 Quarter 2 Performance Report 
• FY09 Quarter 1 Performance Report 
• Detailed FY09 Budget Information 

	Q4, FY08	Q4, FY09	Percent Change
Homicides	14	11	-21.43%
Violent Crime	1659	1474	-11.15%
Property Crime	5159	5058	-1.96%
Part 1 Crime	6818	6532	-4.19%
Non Fatal Shootings	66	55	-16.67%
Fatal Shootings	10	9	-10.00%
Shootings (Total)	76	64	-15.79%

2008 data are tabulated according to the reporting criteria established by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

2009 data are preliminary and therefore have not been verified by the Boston Police Department.

• A recent Harvard study found that only 5% of the street intersections and block faces generated about 74% of the shootings in Boston between 1980 and 2008. Using a data-driven approach, the Boston Police Department (BPD) monitors and analyzes crime trends and patterns to address violent crime across the City of Boston. Working with academic partners, the BPD utilizes this analytical approach to develop appropriate prevention strategies to reduce gun violence in these hot spot areas.
• By taking a strategic approach, the Boston Police Department and its criminal justice, social service, and community-based partners have been reducing serious violence in Boston. Between calendar years 2006 and 2008, total homicides have decreased 15% and shootings have decreased 14%. Relative to calendar year 2007, gang-related homicides decreased by 23% in 2008.
• These promising trends continued into 2009. Over the fourth quarter of FY09, when compared to the same quarter last year, homicides decreased by 21.4% and overall violent crime decreased by 11.2%.
• The Boston Police Department continues to refine, expand, and implement several successful programs, initiatives and approaches:
  • The Safe Street Team Initiative: Boston Police officers engage in community problem-oriented policing while walking the beat in 13 violent crime hot spot areas around the city. Officers provide high visibility, conduct problem solving in partnership with the community, and reduce crime.
  • The Boston Regional Intelligence Center continues to be a model for real-time intelligence gathering and sharing. The BRIC provides crime intelligence on violent crime problems, places and high risk individuals that allows for strategic deployments and enhanced investigative support.
  • The BPD adopts the COMPSTAT management and accountability system that utilizes crime mapping and crime analysis to determine high crime locations to hold district and unit commanders accountable for devising effective strategies and tactics in partnership with their community to improve the quality of life and reduce crime in City neighborhoods.
  • The BPD Bureau of Investigative Services' (BIS) successes in investigations and forensics have seen some of the most violent offenders removed from the streets of Boston. Highlights include a significant improvement in the homicide clearance rate, with the BPD Homicide Unit attaining and maintaining clearance rates as high as 50% in 2009. The Bureau continues to move its forensic units towards accreditation and improve the quality of its forensic processes, leading to identifications and successful prosecutions. BIS is working to improve and standardize investigative techniques for all detectives throughout the City. Its Special Investigations Unit continues to develop interagency partnerships for a multi-agency investigative approach to targeting violent offenders, guns and drugs, utilizing modern surveillance techniques.
  • BPD's investigative bureau now places new emphasis on community outreach through its BIS Outreach Initiative with a focus on improved community interaction by district detectives, encouraging communication, witness cooperation and community education towards solving crime. The Homicide survivors meetings and victim witness advocate work to improve community relationships, services, and cooperation on both current and cold cases.
  • The BPD School Police Unit/Youth Violence Strike Force continue to implement and strengthen their very successful and nationally recognized intervention programs such as Operation Ceasefire, Operation NightLight, Operation Homefront and The Boston Reentry Initiative. These programs provide targeted intervention and services for the highest risk individuals -whether at-risk in schools, gang-involved or highly involved in the criminal justice system. These programs are implemented in partnership with other criminal justice, community and faith-based and school-based entities.

The Department provides many services to protect and serve residents of and visitors to the City of Boston. The Department provides: A well trained force of patrol officers to solve problems and reduce crime, victimization, and fear; A well trained force of detectives to investigate incidents of crime; An administrative and management system to support the delivery of police services; An internal investigation function designed to ensure integrity of all employees.

• To prevent and reduce violence and crime
• To maximize the number of incidents cleared
• To minimize the number of outstanding warrants
• To provide investigative expertise, support, and technical assistance in responding to and conducting investigations that contribute to the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of criminal offenders