Neighbors Complain Of Poor Street Lighting

Cambridge residents in the Peabody neighborhood near the Quad protested poor street lighting at a neighborhood meeting sponsored by the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) last night.

Locals also discussed a new feature of Cambridge's 911 emergency service and access to information about small crimes in the neighborhood.

The streets about which residents are concerned include Martin, Shepherd, Bodon, Gray, Hurlbut and Linnaean Streets.

Residents complained that the street lights are either not bright enough or are obscured by trees and other objects, presenting safety risks for late-night walkers.

Neighborhood Coordinator Vicki Boulrice suggested residents forward a list of problem areas to the electric department and city council members.

While the city owns some of the lighting poles in the area, others are owned by the local electric company, Commonwealth Electric Company (Com Electric).

"The city's job is to make sure those poles that are already in place are lit," Boulrice said.

Boulrice and police officers also said residents can benefit from training in "street smarts," given by CPD.

Some residents expressed a desire for more publicized reports of small crimes in the area. Currently, the police only actively make residents aware of those crimes that are part of larger pattern.

Boulrice said the police do not contact residents for every random crime because of the reaction it might elicit. "Some people get very terrified by these notices and become afraid they will be mugged," Boulrice said.

Present at the meeting were Sergeant George Walker and other CPD officers, who agreed on the need to balance informing residents about crime patterns and inducing unnecessary panic in the neighborhood.

Residents were also notified of a new "Enhanced 911" (E911) system that has been implemented by CPD.

Under the new emergency alert system, when a caller dials the final digit in 911, the name and address of the phone line's owner appear immediately on the police computer.

The benefit to E911 is that whether or not a caller is able to speak on the phone to report the concern, the police can respond with a unit to the home in question.