Police Scrutinized Over Failure To Charge Southie Assault Suspect In 2012
BOSTON (CBS) -- Congressman Stephen Lynch will hold a public safety meeting Monday night at the Tynan School in South Boston to discuss the murder of Amy Lord.
Members of Boston Police, Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the state Probation Department are expected to attend the 7 p.m. forum.
The panel will likely face questions about why 28-year-old Edwin Alemany of South Boston was not arrested last fall. Alemany is charged in two other attacks on women this past week and is considered a person of interest in Lord's kidnapping and killing. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Friday that detectives had probable cause to arrest Alemany in a September 2012 assault but failed to charge him.
"If someone did make a mistake and dropped the ball, I'm sure there will be some sort of repercussions but it doesn't change what happened," South Boston resident Eileen Murphy said.
Mayor Tom Menino vowed a thorough investigation into detectives' response to the September attack, but he believes the public still trusts the city.
"People of Boston have confidence in the Police Department," Menino said Saturday. "They're out there every day. One incident isn't going to ruin the reputation of the great police department we have in the city of Boston."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports
Police Scrutinized In South Boston Homicide Case
Though Alemany is now in custody and undergoing a mental health examination, BPD is stepping up patrols in South Boston. Murphy said she'd feel safer if police kept the neighborhood more alert about crime reports.
"I don't know that people need to necessarily report every fender bender, but I think if police detect a pattern in a small geographic area, they need to give folks a heads up," she said.
