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ANYBODY NOTICE A TYPO IN HERE????? 
T police bolsters ranks with recruits
by Robin Washington
Tuesday, August 5, 2003
BOSTON HERALD
Riders on T buses and trains may soon see an added police presence following the induction yesterday of 18 new recruits and seven laid-off Springfield officers to the MBTA Police.
The new positions, approved by the T board last year but never filled, buck the trend of layoffs at other police departments, including Springfield, which in February was forced to cut its staff. Seven Springfield veterans took up the offer to join the T.
The recruits will face 22 months of ``the most comprehensive, rigorous training available to law enforcement officers in the region,'' Chief Joseph Carter said.
After a morning of strenuous calisthenics, however, it may have been too rigorous for some when the group failed to immediately return the chief's greeting to them.
``Let's try it again,'' Carter said. ``Good afternoon, everyone.''
``Good afternoon, Chief Carter, sir!''
The former Springfield officers will face a less intensive program, undergoing two weeks of retraining focused largely on youth relations, juvenile law and right-of-way safety.
``There are going to be quite a few differences,'' Springfield transplant Ray Gonzalez said of his new job. ``Before I applied, I never even rode the T.''
Colleague Sean Arpin said he hadn't either, but was prepared for the adjustment.
``I have a map. I'll have to carry it until it becomes second nature,'' he said.
The emphasis on youth relations was commended by Lisa Thurau-Gray of Suffolk University Law School's Juvenile Justice Center, whose activism forced the T to re-examine how its officers deal with teens.
``They asked me to provide materials for their training, which I was happy to do,'' she said. ``They need to know how to exude authority and control without losing their cool. They need to know that five boys of color do not equal a gang.''
T police bolsters ranks with recruits
by Robin Washington
Tuesday, August 5, 2003
BOSTON HERALD
Riders on T buses and trains may soon see an added police presence following the induction yesterday of 18 new recruits and seven laid-off Springfield officers to the MBTA Police.
The new positions, approved by the T board last year but never filled, buck the trend of layoffs at other police departments, including Springfield, which in February was forced to cut its staff. Seven Springfield veterans took up the offer to join the T.
The recruits will face 22 months of ``the most comprehensive, rigorous training available to law enforcement officers in the region,'' Chief Joseph Carter said.
After a morning of strenuous calisthenics, however, it may have been too rigorous for some when the group failed to immediately return the chief's greeting to them.
``Let's try it again,'' Carter said. ``Good afternoon, everyone.''
``Good afternoon, Chief Carter, sir!''
The former Springfield officers will face a less intensive program, undergoing two weeks of retraining focused largely on youth relations, juvenile law and right-of-way safety.
``There are going to be quite a few differences,'' Springfield transplant Ray Gonzalez said of his new job. ``Before I applied, I never even rode the T.''
Colleague Sean Arpin said he hadn't either, but was prepared for the adjustment.
``I have a map. I'll have to carry it until it becomes second nature,'' he said.
The emphasis on youth relations was commended by Lisa Thurau-Gray of Suffolk University Law School's Juvenile Justice Center, whose activism forced the T to re-examine how its officers deal with teens.
``They asked me to provide materials for their training, which I was happy to do,'' she said. ``They need to know how to exude authority and control without losing their cool. They need to know that five boys of color do not equal a gang.''
