# Who Runs This State, The Boston Herald?



## Guest (Dec 4, 2003)

In the last few months, the Boston Herald along with Fox 25 has come across with a few in-depth articles of interest. I list them as follows;
1) Sex Offender Registry - Felons failing to register
2) ME's Office - Misappropriation of funds / services
3) Dept Public Safety - Permits being issued to unquallified people. 
4) John Geoghan's Death at MCI Shirley

After these gaffes were exposed, only then was something done. Why does it take the "Daily Rag" or a news channel to get anything done in this state? Correct me if I am wrong, don't we have elected officials on the job who are supposed to be running the show?

Now 3 top Dept. Public Safety officials have been given their walking papers and several others are being looked at by state &amp; Federal authorities. 

The S/P does the "Diddler Round-Up" every week since the SOR articles appeard. Some fat slob from Charlestown gets whacked with a 2 1/2 year sentence for failing to register and they think everything is going to be fine. It's not. 

Basically everybody on this board knew about the SOR's failings and the need for it to be fixed. Assachusetts was one of the last states in the nation to put a Sex offender Registry in place. (typical) They rushed it through the state legislature without clearly thinking of the impact it has on some of the people involved.

I for one have locked people up for urinating in public (Indecent exposure)which is now considered a sex crime. This was before this SOR was put into place. Now some poor slob who was 18 at the time of the arrest who plead no contest or got a CWOF is now mandated to register as a sex offender. This is perposterous. This registry should be for skinners or diddlers who actually committed crimes against people. Had I known then that these people would be sentenced to wear a Scarlet Letter on them for life, I never would have locked them up for that specific crime. 

Even the levels they assigned people are all screwed up. Level 1 offenders are the least dangerous (or so they say) Level 3 is the worst offenders. This should be reversed. Reverse the level sequence in my opinion and make the Level 1 offenders the very worst. We all look for public enemy #1 and Murder 1 is premeditated which is the worst. Why not do this with the Sex Offender Registry? Just another example of the legislature having no imput from the LE community before their knee-jerk reaction to pass a bill to make the legislators look like they are actually working. They always seem to get is Ass Backwards

The Herald asks Police Chiefs about specific diddlers living in their town to make the cops look dumb. "Gee I dunno" or something similar was the answer most often quoted. The same week these articles appeared, an unamed town in Mass tracked a viscious dog to Maine where the owner had stashed it since it was deemed dangerous and was to be put down. Why can't we devote these resources elsewhere to track down people who actually pose a danger to our children in out communities?

Sorry about the long post. I just had alot of time to burn tonight &amp; needed to get this off my chest. :sb:


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

Its the typical way that politicians react to anything; they change nothing unless the "public perception" mandates change. If homeless vets are starving and freezing in the streets no politician cares unless Fox 25 does one of their "human interest" stories. Then they all jump on the bandwagon to look like they care about their community. The Herald is a sensationalist rag; they don't care about anything but selling papers and add space, and they sell papers by printing stories that outrage and/or upset the public. Fox (and most local stations) are the same way. The only way they can get public attention is to outrage people. Yes, any educated person knows that there are much more pressing problems in the state. But nothing pushes the buttons like the word "pedophile". Say that and the public is up in arms and then the politicians, if they want to get reelected, have to do something. And Fox and the Herald make money by pushing those buttons. Sometimes its a good thing; no one cared about street racing in Springfield, until some people got killed, and local rag printed up some stories, then people got upset and the politician reacted. In a sense: this is the purpose of the press; to inform the public in a democracy so that they can make informed choices. But then again, they can also draw attention away from issues that are urgent, or conviently ignore issues that put them or their shallow liberal views in a bad light. It seem like this is the way the world is going, unfortunately....


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

HousingCop said:


> I for one have locked people up for urinating in public (Indecent exposure)which is now considered a sex crime. This was before this SOR was put into place. Now some poor slob who was 18 at the time of the arrest who plead no contest or got a CWOF is now mandated to register as a sex offender. This is perposterous. This registry should be for skinners or diddlers who actually committed crimes against people. Had I known then that these people would be sentenced to wear a Scarlet Letter on them for life, I never would have locked them up for that specific crime.
> 
> :


Hey Housing,

Don't be so hard on yourself for doing your job. So you busted and booked someone for peeing. You could have read him the riot act, or maybe even called his parents and embarassed him. Just don't second guess yourself buddy. Shouldn't everybody have a BOP?
:shock:

I agree with ya 100% on the media issue :thumbup:


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2003)

MPD,
I only locked the kid up for pissing because he violated the "Fresh Prick Clause" and that's why he got lugged. Now he has to register every year with the SOR board. I know some cops with more extensive criminal histories than this kid had. 

I don't feel bad for doing my job, I feel bad the MA Legislature has made this SOR into a quagmire without looking at the ramifications it will cause in peoples lives. 

The herald reported that there's a guy who got his underage girlfriend pregnant and he was convicted of statutory rape. He's been married to her for over 20 years now. He has to register and stand in line with the diddlers and skinners and it's NOT FAIR. The poor guy can't even coach a basketball game or become a chaperone at his childrens school functions because of this. Is this right? I think not.

The Legislature recently approved having a DNA database for all felons. Great idea but some of the felonys I have seen are way out of line. Clam diggin at night is actually a felony! Now poor Tony the clammer has to stand in line &amp; give a swab along with murderers, rapists, and thugs. Again, NOT FAIR. Just my :2c: for what it is worth.


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

masstroopers1 said:


> Some years back I had a couple of drunken nitwits moon my cruiser up at North Adams State - I grabbed the pair of them but only charged them with disorderly. .


Just an FYI- That school is now "Massachusetts College of LIBERAL Arts"
How appropriate eh!
:FM: :L:


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## Guest (Dec 27, 2003)

MCLA is a good school. The students don't give the locals too hard a time out here. MPD61, you shouldn't be making statements like that. I see from your profile your back east. How ironic you talk about liberals when you live among a sea of them! 

Live and let live!
[-X


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