Nineteen months and counting: No murders in Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Mass. --For years, most of the news out of Lawrence was predictably bad. An old mill city and one of the state's poorest, Lawrence was plagued by gangs, drugs and violence. It also had the embarrassing distinction of being known as the auto insurance fraud capital of Massachusetts.

So when more than a year passed without a single murder, even the city's staunchest defenders had to scratch their heads a bit.

"There is some luck in it," said police Chief John Romero, "but it's not all luck. It's a lot of hard work by the community and the police."

The last murder in the city was on Aug. 26, 2004, when 36-year-old Rafael Castro was shot in the head in his sixth-floor apartment by someone looking for drugs. A 20-year-old man has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the killing.

Romero credits community policing and focusing on the three driving forces behind most killings in the city -- drugs, gangs and domestic violence -- for what is now a 19-month run without a murder. It's been a long time in coming. The last time the city went a year without a murder was in 1972.

The streak in Lawrence contrasts sharply with a dramatic rise in murders in Boston, which hit a 10-year high last year with 75.

Criminologists says it's unfair to compare the two cities. Lawrence, a city about 28 miles north of Boston with about 72,000 residents, is small in size -- about six square miles -- and is more likely to respond well to community policing, a system that relies on close interaction between police officers and residents.

In Lawrence, police frequently receive tips from residents, not just when crime is happening, but also when they see anything suspicious, Romero said.

But in Boston, police have struggled with a growing reluctance on the part of witnesses to come forward. Wearing T-shirts with the message "Stop Snitching" became a popular intimidation tactic. Boston police have also had to deal with an increase in the young adult population, an influx of guns into the city and the return of criminals who completed prison sentences for crimes committed in the 1990s.

Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole said that when she attends community meetings, they are often standing-room only, packed with residents, some of whom are more than willing to help police. But others are reluctant to provide information for fear that they will be targeted by criminals.

"There's definitely a culture of intimidation out there that is very prevalent," O'Toole said. "I've had people stand up at meetings and say, 'We really want to help you, but we are not going to tell you anything.' "

In Lawrence, many residents are vigilant about reporting anything suspicious, said Gloria Schwartz, president of the Prospect Hill/Back Bay Neighborhood Association.

"We had one young lady who had a list of license plates she had copied down. Her neighborhood was overrun with drug activity," she said.

Romero, who worked in the New York City police department for 30 years, said he brought some of former Mayor Rudolph Guiliani's philosophy of working on "quality of life" issues -- loud noise, graffiti, trash, vacant lots -- when he became Lawrence's police chief in 1999. Police in Lawrence have worked closely with neighborhood groups to address those issues. He said he attends every neighborhood group meeting, sometimes more than a dozen each month.

When residents see police responding to those smaller problems, they are more likely to report a crack house in their neighborhood or other crime, Romero said.

"If you prevent these things at a lower level, you may be able to prevent some more serious crime," he said.

The cooperation from residents has helped police build a database on gang members. The database lists known members, their cars, associates, girlfriends and rivals, Romero said. So when there is a gang-related shooting, police already have somewhere to start.

The department also started a domestic violence unit, and officers repeatedly visit both victims and repeated offenders.

"We are checking with her to see how she's being treated, and we're letting them (offenders) know we're keeping an eye on them," Romero said. "That goes a long way."

While Romero cautiously celebrates the 19-month absence of homicides, criminologists warn it may not signify a trend. Lawrence has averaged about five murders a year for the last seven years, with the eight recorded in 2003 being the highest.

"With these small numbers, you can't really know whether there's a trend here," said Daniel LeClair, a professor of criminology at Boston University.

"I think it's a wonderful event to see 19 months go by, particularly in a city where so many of us have been worried about the gangs and community conflict, but you need a longer period of time to see whether this is just a one-time event or a pattern."

Still, residents of Lawrence are happy about the reduction in the murder rate.

"I'm very grateful and proud," said Fausto Nunez, 53, who moved to Lawrence from New York City 17 years ago, and is now raising a family here.

Nunez said he decided to become more involved in his neighborhood about a year ago. He began by removing trash, old tires and other debris from vacant lots. Now, he and his wife, Madeline, and two children, 7 and 12, go out and help whenever there is a cleaning "crusade" in any part of the city. Nunez is now president of his neighborhood crime watch group.

"We've tried to clean up the community of gangs and drugs, and this (reduction in the murder rate) is proof that it is a cleaner and safer city," Nunez said.

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Editor's Note: Denise Lavoie is a Boston-based reporter covering the courts and legal issues. She can be reached at dlavoie(at)ap.org