Police raise profile with Fenway substation

Boston police opened a new neighborhood satellite station in the Fenway yesterday , hoping to dramatically increase visibility in one of the city's largest police districts.

The district, which also covers the Back Bay and the South End, is so sprawling that officers can spend up to an hour between incidents coming and going from the main station on Harrison Avenue to write reports, said residents who pushed for the substation. The travel time leaves Fenway without adequate police presence, residents said.

"It really enhances the residential security for us, in that I think it makes the policemen more readily available," said Fredericka Veikley, one of the neighborhood leaders who lobbied for the substation. "Their presence in and out of here will be a deterring factor."

Veikley said there have been assaults, some apartment burglaries, and a large number of car break-ins in the neighborhood.

District detectives are also investigating the possible assault of a woman walking through Roberto Clemente Field last month. The woman, who told police she was walking across the footbridge over Muddy River when she lost consciousness, woke up in a stranger's apartment with an injury to her lower jaw and several missing teeth. Her purse, car keys, and apartment keys were missing. The stranger contacted the woman's roommate, who took her to the hospital. The victim later called police, who have not arrested a suspect or determined what caused the woman's injuries.

Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, who used storefront substations as part of his community policing strategy in Lowell, said he hopes to staff the new substation, which is inside the Landmark Center on Park Drive, with police cadets, who will reinforce patrol officers.

"Everyone will know that there's an increased police presence here . . . a place you can come to us about any security need you have," Davis said at a ceremony yesterday.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said that he believes the substation will help police do a better job in the Fenway area.

"Bringing police closer to the people always advances community policing," he said in an interview. Menino said he plans to study the impact of the new substation and will consider adding more of them in other large police districts.

He said that a substation that has operated in the Charlestown neighborhood for several years has been ineffective.

The city broke ground earlier this month on a new Charlestown police station, which will feature a holding cell and large staff. Menino said a substation in the South Bay Shopping Center will continue to be open during holidays.

Davis said he has no immediate plans for further substations and is focused instead on acquiring technology that will allow officers to file reports on the run.

"As we get better capacity to do things on portable computers, the need for a facility like this is reduced," he said.

Suzanne Smalley can be reached at ssmalley@globe.com.