The Suffolk County District Attorney’s (DA) Office held on Sept. 22 a roundtable discussion in Jamaica Plain. Two topics discussed were expanding the boundaries covered by JP’s West Roxbury District Court and having an in-house assistant district attorney at JP’s District E-13 Police Station.
Four people attended the meeting at the Nate Smith House. Lauren Greene, assistant district attorney for West Roxbury District Court; District E-13 Police Capt. Al Andres; and Transit Police Lt. Stephen Salisbury led the panel discussion.
Local resident Michael Reiskind, who is a member of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, asked the panel about aligning the boundaries of the E-13 Police Station and the West Roxbury District Court—which, despite its name, sits on the Arborway in JP. The current boundaries have the Bromley-Heath housing development within the coverage area of the E-13 Police Station, but outside the West Roxbury District Court.
Greene said she is not sure who sets the boundaries for the district court, but said it would be “advantageous” to have the two boundaries aligned. She said that sort of overlap occurs a lot throughout the city.
“I can look into it,” Greene said about the alignment problem.
Andres concurred with Greene about the overlap happening throughout the city, saying when he worked at the District B-2 Police Station three different courts covered that area.
“It always a problem,” he said.
Reiskind also asked about whether the E-13 Police Station still has an in-house assistant district attorney, as it used to as part of a gang unit. Greene responded that the station currently does not have one, but noted that Mayor Martin Walsh has ordered a restructuring of the gang unit. Fatiman Breton, legislative director for the DA’s Office, said she would look into it.