Lack of Boston Police traffic details has some calling for civilian construction flaggers
EAST BOSTON -- It's hard to get around Boston these days without running into a detour sign or two. Some drivers are left wondering who will be there to guide them through the mess.
"There were cars trying to squeeze in there. This was down to one lane over here on Orleans Street. Thankfully, one of the workers was trying to help, but that's not his job. In my experience coming through the intersection, I think I saw a police detail officer once"," Andrew Pike told WBZ-TV.
He's an East Boston resident who has been dealing with pesky construction in his neighborhood.
"This says no trucks over 2.5 tons over here, and they were directing them down this way because they couldn't come this way," he said.
At one point, Pike ended up head-to-head with a semi-truck. Both drivers were trying to navigate the intersection of Sumner and Orleans streets. Pike reached out to a community resource officer to ask where the detail officers were.
"One of the reasons why I was told by our community resource officer was that they are short-staffed," Pike said.
We reached out to Boston Police last week to see if they were having detail staffing issues. They have yet to get back to us with confirmation.
"[We could] potentially have the city utilize civilian flaggers, which has been talked about for some time," adds Pike.
The Jamaica Plain Public Service Committee is pushing for civilian flaggers in Boston. They are legal, but the committee says police are blocking the way.
"What has happened is the police have it in their contracts that only police can do these details, civilian flagging construction details," explains Louise Johnson with the Jamaica Plain Public Service Committee, "Because the city of Boston contract is up for renegotiation this year we have been looking into the issue."
The committee sent a formal letter to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asking her to step in and allow for civilian flaggers. They believe it will alleviate staffing needs on police and create jobs at the same time.
"I think the police are overwhelmed and over worked by these construction details," believes Johnson, "These details are done on overtime, and these officers are stretched way too thin."