Flaherty to propose hiring police

Councilor at Large Michael F. Flaherty, reelected yesterday to his fifth term as council president, broke with Mayor Thomas M. Menino's message of limited spending for police and said he will propose the city do what it takes to hire as many as 350 officers as part of an anticrime agenda he plans to push.

Flaherty's proposal, detailed in an interview with the Globe shortly after councilors voted 9-4 to return him to the presidency, is a rare departure. In Boston, ambitious politicians, especially those on the council, seldom publicly express opposition to or even subtle criticism of the mayor's policies.

Flaherty, who is widely seen as having mayoral aspirations, said he planned to work with the mayor on a public safety agenda but also raised the possibility of pushing for cuts elsewhere in the budget to make money available for police. The council's main power lies in its ability to veto Menino's budget.

''We are going to have to dig into our coffers," Flaherty said. ''Short of having a police officer on every street corner, are you actually going to be able to prevent someone whose intent is to do bodily harm to another person? I'm not sure. But clearly we need to put more police officers on the street in an effort to stem youth violence."

The council will ''roll up its sleeves" and find a way to pay for additional officers by cutting costs elsewhere, Flaherty said.

Hiring officers from surrounding police departments would save the city money because the officers are trained and would not need to attend the city's police academy, enabling them to quickly patrol Boston's streets.

The city needs at least another 20 detectives, he said.

''There are so many unsolved crimes out there," Flaherty said. ''We need to demonstrate a record of accomplishments with respect to arrests and convictions. The ideal situation would be to give our police commissioner 300 to 350 more police officers and more detectives to help a unit that is already under siege."

Flaherty echoed Menino's call in his inaugural speech yesterday for citizens to take personal responsibility for what happens in their neighborhoods.

He proposed a public-awareness campaign that would draw on local sports figures and other leaders to help persuade an increasingly fearful public to help police investigating crimes.

''They would instill a sense of community and neighborhood pride," Flaherty said. ''People are going to have to step forward. Give a description, give a license plate," he said.

Flaherty, a member of the Teamsters union during his college and law school years, said he will also work with building trade unions to help disadvantaged young people find entry-level jobs.

''A minister came in here today and said the number-one issue he hears when he knocks on the door of a gangbanger is jobs. They're asking for jobs," he said. ''They say they'll get out of the gang when they get a good job, and they're not talking McDonald's or Burger King.

''We have an awesome opportunity to connect with our trades," said Flaherty. ''It's a good job at a good wage with a retirement system that is probably second to none. And the trade union leaders love city kids. They're not afraid of the cold. They're not afraid of heights. They're not afraid to go into basements. When you get a good city kid into a trade, the sky's the limit."

Flaherty said he will soon convene a meeting of trade union leaders, asking them to ''partner with the city throughout their apprenticeship programs, to give [young people] hope and opportunity and alternatives to joining gangs and running drugs."

He will also suggest the city revamp its Boston Jobs Policy, which requires that 30 percent of the construction jobs in the city go to Boston residents; 20 percent to minorities; and 10 percent to women.

Flaherty said he's worried about the increase in the numbers of young girls and women involved in gangs.

''We have to take a look at this and how it can be stopped," he said.

In his inaugural speech yesterday and brief remarks in the City Council chamber, Menino said he looks forward to working with the council ''to build a better Boston."

He declined to comment on Flaherty's public-safety proposals yesterday.

Menino's chief policy adviser, Michael Kineavy, said the city already works with unions to provide jobs.

''Another meeting is always a great thing, but this is happening already," he said. ''The building trades and other unions are recruiting within the city regularly. Their recruitment brings them into contact with a lot of different kids from different parts of the city.

''Remember the guy who got out of jail after being wrongfully convicted. The mayor met him in a shelter and two days later the carpenters union took him in."