Dunn Proposes Critical Public Safety Legislation [OPINION]

After Barry Richard broke the news that a New Bedford police officer's home was fired upon at the Brickenwood Apartments in the middle of the night, crime in the city and the New Bedford Police Department's reporting of it came to the forefront of the local conversation.

The NBPD was unnervingly mum about the shooting until Barry reported it on air and there were also conflicting reports between the police union and NBPD leadership on whether or not officers on duty were properly made aware of the incident.

Recognizing the pressing need for greater transparency and efficacy of crime reporting between the NBPD and the people of New Bedford, Ward 3 City Councilor Hugh Dunn filed three separate motions to be heard and acted upon by the City Council.

1. A motion to make week-to-week crime data be made public information.

2. A full audit of ShotSpotter's system to determine its effectiveness after several of their censors failed to register shots fired throughout the city.

3. To hold a public hearing with the NBPD about the incident at Brickenwood to give the public an opportunity to get a full picture of what happened.

I managed Hugh's campaign when he first ran for city council in the Ward 3 special election in 2017 and when he ran for re-election later that year. He ran with strong support from our local public safety unions and has since been a leader in public safety policy for the city.

I had him on my show to talk about these motions at length, and to discuss the importance of keeping Engine 8 operational for the New Bedford Fire Department at a time when the city has been ablaze. You can listen to the full conversation here.

Marcus Ferro is the host of The Marcus Ferro Show airing Saturdays on 1420 WBSM from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Contact him at marcusferrolaw@gmail.com. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.