Brookline Police Release 2015 Year-End Report

BROOKLINE, MA - The Brookline Police Department has released its year-in-review for 2015.

According to the report both violent and property crimes were up slightly from the previous year, with violent crimes increasing by 6 percent and property crimes 7 percent. While assaults and robberies spiked, the number of reported rapes were down to 1 from 3 in 2014. Zero murders were reported - the town has not had a homicide since 2007.

The largest jump in crime was the number of reported burglaries, which rose from 78 in 2014 to 128 in 2015.

In addition, the department hired a new night unit of detectives, which the report said posed a challenge at first but has since been advantageous to police. Officers participated in an expanded number of training programs, including victim assistance training, new directions in violence prevention, investigating sexual assaults and domestic violence incidents in a school setting, and preventing Opioid abuse and overdose among school aged children.

Perhaps the most significant development throughout the department was the adoption of a “Sanctity of Life” philosophy within the Use of Force Policy that asks officers to operate with a "Guardian mentality," as opposed to a "Warrior mentality." This amendment to the Use of Force Policy was recommended by a federal task force investigation into police departments across the country in response to demonstrations resulting from officer shootings of black citizens.

For the full report, click here.