Massachusetts State Police, 40 local police departments brainstorm to combat street takeovers

FRAMINGHAM – Yesterday, the Massachusetts State Police, representatives of more than 40 Local Police Departments and members of the Commonwealth’s District Attorney’s Offices participated in a Street Takeover Briefing and Intelligence Sharing Program at the Homeland Security Operations Center at General Headquarters. Executive Leaders, Prosecutors, Detectives, Troopers, and Officers received a presentation from the Connecticut State Police Intelligence Operations Unit about the experience in their state and discussed best practices to prevent and respond to illegal takeover activity in Massachusetts. The program advances the community safety objectives of the Department’s Excellence Initiative and fulfills the vision of Governor Maura Healey for a collective focus on this issue.

“Our administration will continue to do everything we can to support local officials in the challenges they face,” said Governor Maura Healey. “When the issue of illegal street takeovers came to our attention, State and Local Police delivered a strong message that Massachusetts will not tolerate behavior that threatens human life, public disorder, or property damage. Although the frequency of these events have slowed in the cold weather, our partners continue their focus on enhancing roadway safety and deterring dangerous behaviors. I’m grateful for the leadership of Colonel Noble and the brave men and women in law enforcement for everything they are doing to keep our communities safe.”

“As a former mayor, I recognize how street takeovers can overwhelm local communities without the support of resources from the State Police,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We will continue to empower cities and town by delivering resources like today’s forum, police training, and public safety grants to support staffing and equipment.”

In September, Governor Healey convened more than 100 community partners for a series of roundtables in Brockton, Holyoke, and Lynn. In addition to discussing crime data and regional public safety success stories, the Governor invited leaders to share acute challenges facing their communities. In every forum, illegal street takeovers emerged as a shared, statewide concern. The Governor subsequently directed the State Police to develop a collaborative safety strategy to support local officials with targeted enforcement and quick response teams who could respond to takeovers in real time upon request.

The sustained engagement between state and local police culminated in an October operation that resulted in hundreds of civil citations, 20 criminal summons, 7 arrests, 15 tows, 2 seizures under the Controlled Substances Act, and 1 stolen car recovery. Most importantly, there were no street takeovers in Massachusetts over the weekend of the Operation.

“I’m grateful to the Massachusetts State Police and our local law enforcement partners for their continued coordination and shared commitment to keeping communities and roadways safe,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Gina Kwon. “We know the best results are achieved through collaboration, and today’s briefing is one more example of how we are using intelligence-sharing and best practices to deter dangerous driving and protect the public.”

“The Massachusetts State Police remains committed to preventing illegal street takeovers through strong local partnerships and targeted enforcement,” said Colonel Geoffrey Noble. “We appreciate the support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and our local partners to stay engaged on this topic and prepare for any new activity in the warmer months. Together, we will ensure the safety of Massachusetts communities.”

Participating local police agencies hailed from the following communities: Acton, Ashland, Auburn, Belmont, Boston, Brockton, Brookline, Chicopee, Danvers, Dartmouth, Dedham, East Longmeadow, Fitchburg, Freetown, Haverhill, Holyoke, Ipswich, Lakeville, Leominster, Lowell, Malden, Mattapoisett, Maynard, Medford, Natick, Needham, Norwood, Plainville, Randolph, Seekonk, Sharon, Southborough, Stoneham, Stoughton, Swampscott, Taunton, Upton, Wakefield, Waltham, Westwood, Weymouth, and Williamsburg.