Suffolk DA expands State Police duties

After months of tension between state and Boston police, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said yesterday he has placed State Police in charge of investigating all homicides on MBTA buses, trains, stations, and platforms.

In a move that infuriated Boston police detectives, Conley has also reasserted State Police jurisdiction over areas such as Carson and Revere beaches that had been disputed by city and state investigators in the past.

Conley said the change became effective yesterday.

"The State Police detective unit assigned to my office will now investigate all homicides that happen on state property," he said in a telephone interview last night.

In July, Conley had warned he would consider putting State Police detectives in charge of city homicides after Commissioner Edward F. Davis shuffled his command staff and replaced the head of the homicide unit without consulting Conley.

At the time, Conley said he was furious that he had not been involved in the decision and that Davis's moves would reverse progress made by the previous head of homicide in investigating crimes.

Davis defended the changes saying that he had put together a solid team. Mayor Thomas M. Menino said he backed Davis and suggested that Conley was out of touch with the crime occurring on city streets.

Last night, Conley said his decision on the State Police, about which he notified Davis in a letter he sent yesterday, was not retaliatory but was aimed at assisting overburdened city detectives.

"I've been thinking about this long before the commissioner and I disagreed," Conley said. "To suggest this is in any way retributive is completely off base. This is a decision that I've made to bring additional resources, investigative resources, into the city of Boston and nothing more than that."

But Jack Parlon, president of the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, expressed anger at Conley's move and said he believed it was in response to his dispute with Davis.

"I've made a call to [Conley], and he hasn't returned my call," Parlon said. "Until I hear it from him directly and I hear it from a police source, I don't think it's appropriate to comment. If that happened, it's a slap in the face to every detective. We're not talking about jaywalkers here. We're talking about homicides. Playing politics with it is just despicable. Me and my people are not going to sit for this. It's a disgrace if that's what he's done."

Conley has about 10 State Police detectives assigned to his unit who investigate homicides in the Suffolk County cities of Revere and Chelsea, which have significantly fewer homicides than Boston.

Conley said the move "takes a segment of the work off the plate of a very hardworking group, but, in my view, [a] somewhat overtaxed group of investigators, and gives it to a very talented group of police investigators who are a bit underutilized."

Conley said he called Davis yesterday at about 3:30 p.m. to tell him he would send him a letter outlining the new jurisdiction.

Davis declined to comment directly yesterday. His spokeswoman, Elaine Driscoll, said: "We need the opportunity to review that letter and the details it includes. We currently enjoy a strong working relationship with the State Police.

"Colonel Mark Delaney and Commissioner Davis work very closely together, as do many officers from the State Police and the BPD," she said. "The police commissioner wanted to take the opportunity to support our homicide unit and acknowledge their hard work and professionalism."

Jurisdictional changes are not unusual, said Conley, who said he had last made similar changes in Boston around 2003. He said that clarified state and city jurisdictions.

State Police already investigate homicides on state-owned routes and thoroughfares such as the Massachusetts Turnpike and Storrow Drive.

Conley said the move also clarifies State Police jurisdiction over property that belongs to the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, such as Castle Island and Carson Beach.

Conley said he did not consult the Executive Office of Public Safety or Davis before making the decision. "This decision is mine to make," he said. "I made it after great reflection and discussion with my senior staff."

In an unusual public attack in July, Conley expressed fury at Davis for demoting Deputy Superintendent Daniel Coleman, who had been in charge of homicide investigations. Conley replaced Coleman with Deputy Superintendent Thomas Lee, who is credited with the overhaul of the Special Operations Division, which was involved in the pepper-pellet shooting death of Victoria Snelgrove during a Red Sox celebration in 2004.

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.