As you know, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, MPY, Inc., and REACH Beyond Domestic Violence launched a project in which we asked high school students from throughout Middlesex County to create and produce their own Public Service Announcements in an effort to speak out against teen dating violence.

After receiving 35 outstanding entries from more than 200 students, we are pleased to announce the winning PSA which was submitted by a group of students from Somerville High School. The video, entitled “A Cry For Help,” was created and filmed by the following students: Mitch Freitas, Jason Corey, Aakash Sharma, Jerry Alphonse, Anthony Bohan, and Stefanie Vivian. To view the winning video, please click-here.

We announced the winner live on the Fox Morning News. To view a clip of the Fox interview of the students and District Attorney Leone, please click-here.

Their PSA was selected as the winner by a vote of more than 1,000 high school students across Middlesex County and it will now be submitted to local television stations for possible airing across the state.

We are so proud of the great work and leadership shown by so many high school students on this important issue. We also want to thank all of the teachers and advisors who were so actively involved.

In fact, the project was so well received that we hope to make this an annual project that can touch on a number of different issues that confront our teens.

Thanks again for your participation & support!

DA Leone Urges Students To Be Safe, Make Good Decisions During Prom And Graduation Season

WOBURN– With car crashes ranking as the number one killer of high school-aged students, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone today urged more than 600 students at Reading Memorial High School to make good decisions about teenage impaired driving during prom and graduation season.

Each year, Leone addresses students in high schools throughout Middlesex County about the dangers of impaired driving.

“Each year at this time, we deal with a tragedy because a young person made a bad decision to get behind the wheel while impaired,” District Attorney Leone said in his remarks to the students. “Each and every one of those tragedies were preventable. Your families and all of us here care about you – we urge you to look out for one another and make smart decisions not to get behind the wheel while impaired.”

Statistics show that car crashes are the leading cause of death for young adults between the ages of 15-20 and that there is a dramatic increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities on prom weekends.  According to the 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 28% of Massachusetts youth surveyed reported riding with a driver who had been drinking and 12% reported that they themselves had driven after they had been drinking.  Nationally, 73% of 12th graders surveyed stated that they have tried alcohol, according to a recent survey put out by the National Institutes of Health and Drug Abuse.

In collaboration with Middlesex County school superintendents, Leone also has reached out to parents about this issue in an effort to help parents protect their children.

A joint letter which was distributed to parents of 12th graders in Middlesex County outlines the troubling statistics regarding teenage drinking and driving and offers parents a number of proactive steps that they can take to help prevent their children and others from getting behind the wheel while impaired.  

“You, as a parent or guardian, are in a pivotal position to help ensure the safety of your children by educating them on the reality of alcohol-related tragedies,” the joint letter states. “By helping them make the right choices around impaired driving, you could not only save the lives of your children, but of others as well. These tragedies are purely preventable, and you, along with proactive education and tough law enforcement, can help shape your child’s decision on whether or not to engage in risky behavior.”

The letter also offers alternatives to parents and teens during this prom season:

If you are able to, hire professional transportation for your children’s prom night.  Make sure you have a discussion with the driver prior to prom night about your expectations that the ride be alcohol-free.  Sometimes these drivers will agree to purchase alcohol for their minor passengers; it is important to ensure that this will not happen by talking directly with the driver
 
Offer your children transportation alternatives.  Offer to provide your children rides or to have an older sibling or family friend provide rides for your children on prom night.  If your child does not want you to pick them up, oftentimes a sibling or family friend is a great compromise.
 
Provide your child with the phone number of a local taxi company with a positive reputation and make plans to pay for your children’s taxi fare for the night.  Remember, this is a small cost to keep your child safe.
 
Make sure to exchange cell phone numbers so that your child can reach you in a moment’s notice.
 
In the letter, D.A. Leone and the superintendents also remind parents that they can be held liable if they choose to host a party for teens where alcohol is served and then have one of their guests harm themselves or others by the negligent operation of a motor vehicle due to alcohol consumption.   

(A copy of the joint letter being distributed by Superintendents to parents in their individual communities is included below.)

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April, 2009

Dear Parent/Guardian:

It’s that time of year again, as the next few months will be filled with graduations, proms and other celebratory events for our children.  In anticipation, I write to urge you to do all that you can to make it a happy and safe time for your child.

Each year, we lose far too many of our teenagers to motor vehicle crashes, with a dramatic increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities on prom weekends throughout our county.  Car crashes are the leading cause of death for young adults between the ages of 15-20, and the reality is that many of those deaths are caused by teenage impaired driving.

You, as a parent or guardian, are in a pivotal position to ensure the safety of your children by educating them on the reality of alcohol-related tragedies.  By helping them make the right choices around impaired driving, you could not only save the lives of your children, but of others as well. These tragedies are purely preventable, and you, along with proactive education and tough law enforcement, can help shape your child’s decision on whether or not to engage in risky behavior.

It’s also important to remind parents and guardians that it is a crime to provide alcohol to those under the age of 21, even at a supervised party at your own home.  It is also important to know that if you choose to host a party where alcohol is served to minors, you can be held liable if one of your guests drinks alcohol at your home and harms themselves or others by the negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Finally, please remember to stress to your children that driving after drinking any amount of alcohol could potentially result in a driving under the influence offense. For those under the age of 21, driving under the influence in Massachusetts is defined by a 0.02 blood alcohol level.  This level can easily be reached by just one drink and carries the very serious criminal penalties of an OUI offense, possibly marring your child’s chance at getting into college, applying for jobs and even participating in graduation.

We know this topic is difficult and that’s why we’ve provided you with ideas for safe alternatives, in order to ensure everyone’s safety during this celebratory season:

If you are able to, hire professional transportation for your children’s prom night.  Make sure you have a discussion with the driver prior to prom night about your expectations that the ride be alcohol-free.  Sometimes these drivers will agree to purchase alcohol for their minor passengers; it is important to ensure that this will not happen by talking directly with the driver

Offer your children transportation alternatives.  Offer to provide your children rides or to have an older sibling or family friend provide rides for your children on prom night.  If your child does not want you to pick them up, oftentimes a sibling or family friend is a great compromise.

Provide your child with the phone number of a local taxi company with a positive reputation and make plans to pay for your children’s taxi fare for the night.  Remember, this is a small cost to keep your child safe.

Make sure to exchange cell phone numbers so that your child can reach you in a moment’s notice.

We have seen first-hand the devastating impact that impaired driving under the influence can have on parents, families, friends and communities, and urge you to be proactive in preventing teenage drinking and driving.  We believe these alternatives will help to discourage impaired driving without infringing on your child’s desire for fun and independence.

Thank you and please contact us with any questions that you may have, or if you would like further information on teenage impaired driving.

Please be safe and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

Sincerely,

Gerry Leone

Middlesex District Attorney                                                      Superintendent

• SOS-PROGRAM
• SIGNS-OF-SELF-INJURY-PROGRAM

 U.S. Attorney’s Office Awards “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Grant To Middlesex D.A. and Lowell P.D.

$200,000 Grant Will Fund Local Crime Prevention Initiatives, Enhance Investigation and Prosecution Of Gang and Gun Violence In Lowell Area  

LOWELL – Seeking to help combat gang and gun violence in Greater Lowell, the United States Attorney’s Office has awarded the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Lowell Police Department with a $200,000 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant (PSN) to fund community-based crime prevention programs and enhance local efforts to investigate and prosecute gang and gun crimes.  

The grant will be used by the Middlesex District Attorney’s office and the Lowell Police Department to fund already existing prevention and problem-solving initiatives that aim to decrease gang activity and gun violence.  Additionally, the funding will be used to expand and extend public awareness campaigns in Lowell, including the Community Hotline, Crime Stoppers Tip Line and Lowell’s “Top Ten Most Wanted” program.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s office will provide its prosecutors with specialized gang-related crime training that will detail the various options ADAs have when prosecuting cases on the state-level. In addition, the Middlesex D.A.’s office, along with non-profit Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, has agreed to create a new training program to focus on gang violence.  This program will train school administrators, teachers, and School Resource Officers on ways to reduce intolerance, identify gang activity, and work to prevent gang crimes.  Under this program, students will also receive training on how to make positive decisions when faced with the prospect of gang involvement and delinquency.   

“I regard Project Safe Neighborhoods as one of the most significant gun and gang violence reduction efforts ever developed in this country,” U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said. “I would like to commend District Attorney Leone and Superintendent Lavallee for their unprecedented commitment to support comprehensive and innovative community-based programming and law enforcement training. I am confident that this PSN funding will enhance and support ongoing efforts in the City of Lowell, and look forward to our continuing partnership.” 

“This grant is a critical tool to not only enhance our existing programs, but also allow us to implement new community-based initiatives to combat gang and gun violence in Lowell,” District Attorney Leone said. “The true beneficiaries of this grant are the people of Lowell, and we want to thank U.S. Attorney Sullivan for awarding us with these important funds. We look forward to continuing our excellent partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s office and Lowell PD to both investigate and prosecute gang violence as well as implement critical crime prevention programs.”  

“The Lowell Police Department continues to work diligently to maintain a safe city,” Lowell Police Superintendent Ken Lavallee said. “We are thankful for this funding as it will be utilized to build our capacity to prevent, deter, and suppress gang and gun crimes within the City. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office as this initiative moves forward.”        

According to the Lowell Police Department’s Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit, there are as many as 25 active gangs operating within the city. These individuals, according to the LPD, usually range in age from 17-24 with children as young as 10 entering gangs.  With the PSN funding, the Lowell Police Department will increase police presence and conduct gun and gang-related investigations. The Gang Unit is making a real difference in Lowell and has produced intelligence that indicates that several potential homicides have been prevented.  Additionally, last year officers removed 56 illegal firearms from the streets, of which 27 were recovered from known gang members.              

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has engaged in a number of efforts to combat gang and gun violence. For instance, District Attorney Leone has placed an emphasis on breaking through the code of silence amongst gang members and other criminals by prosecuting those who intentionally compromise an investigation by lying or obstruction. The office has also worked to expand its school-based CBJ programs into middle schools, working to identify at-risk youth and intervene before they turn to gangs and violence. The office has also placed a special ADA, Kara Crysil, in Lowell Superior Court whose specific job is to prosecute gun and gang crimes in the Greater Lowell area.

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Wilmington - School safety doesn’t begin with security cameras or bolted doors, but with a healthy frame of mind.

This was the message presented by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone when he gave the keynote address at Middlesex Partnerships For Youth’s 13th annual School Safety Summit held Tuesday at Bentley College.

School officials from Wilmington attended the conference, which attracted nearly 300 school, law enforcement, and mental health workers from across Massachusetts.

Leone’s address focused on strategies and initiatives that schools can implement to keep students safe. He highlighted the importance for schools to establish a climate in which students are comfortable notifying teachers and school personnel when they believe there may be a safety threat.

“The only way we can protect our students and establish a truly positive learning environment is to establish a healthy school climate,” Leone said. “That is why it is critical that schools establish a system in which students feel comfortable in reporting a threat and for schools to have teams to assess and, if necessary, respond to those threats.”

Leone stressed the need for schools to have systems in place for students to anonymously report a threat and to develop specific threat assessment teams to analyze and respond to threats.  

Leone also presented the MPY’s “Citizenship in Action” award, which is awarded each fall to an individual who has made a difference towards making communities safer and healthier. This year, the award was given to Frank Molis, who works for the city of Malden. Molis is the Community Programs Director for the Malden YMCA, as well as oversees the Malden Youth Court program.

Funded this year by the United States Attorney’s Office, the conference also featured US Attorney Michael Sullivan, who provided the welcoming remarks.

The program featured three nationally acclaimed school safety experts who addressed the crowd on how schools can create safe climates to prevent youth violence. The speakers were: Dr. Michael Corso, the Director of Field Services at the Quaglia Institute for Students Aspirations; Dr. Ron Slaby, developmental psychologist, educator and research scientist; and Dr. James Alan Fox, the Limpan Family Professor of Criminal Justice and Professor of Law, Policy and Society at Northeastern University.

The conference was the largest attended MPY conference in the past decade. 

MPY is a non-profit organization established in 1988 by the Middlesex district attorney’s office to foster communication on school-related legal issues relating to substance abuse and violence. Through Project Alliance, MPY’s primary initiative, the non-profit provides prevention and intervention resources, as well as training and programming to Middlesex school districts and communities using a combination of education, training and technical support. To address a variety of youth health and safety issues. MPY’s membership now includes over 60 school districts. For more information on Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc. and Project Alliance, visit www.middlesexpartnershipsforyouth.org.

WALTHAM — Forging strong bonds with kids and talking to them about their problems can help keep them out of trouble, said officials at yesterday’s conference on youth violence.

Preventing school violence was the focus of the 13th annual School Safety Summit at Bentley College attended by law enforcement personnel, educators and social workers from across Middlesex County.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, one of yesterday’s speakers, said kids can be kept out of trouble by organizing teams of concerned adults who can reach out to troubled youngsters.

Police, educators and counselors have their work cut out for them, he said.

“There’s been an increase in the willingness for kids to express mean- spiritedness … it’s a lack of respect, tolerance and acceptance of people different from them,” he said. “The problem of bullying has only gotten worse with the expansion of the Internet.”

He discussed efforts like the Middlesex Partnerships For Youth Inc., a nonprofit organization providing resources and training to school districts and communities, including Waltham.

Leone said training sessions show communities how to deal with youth-related problems ranging from drinking and drug use to cyber-bullying.

Kevin Conzo said yesterday was his third year attending the summit.

“They teach you more how to approach the problems through education,” the Waltham school resource officer said. “It’s more about engaging the youth to come to the right decisions … have them feel like they are participating in the solution.”

In Waltham, four school resource officers are assigned to the district and are responsible for keeping students safe in schools. Two work at Waltham High School and Kennedy and McDevitt middle schools each has an officer assigned to them.

Waltham Police Capt. Don Feeney supervises the city’s school resource officers.

“A lot of this has to do with participation of the police and school administrators,” Feeney said. “We’re all working together.”

Feeney said one thing Waltham’s school resource officers have been training for is how to better prepare for school lockdowns, following last year’s incidents. Feeney mentioned episodes in May 2007, when both the McDevitt Middle School and Kennedy Middle School were locked down and officers found two knives in student’s lockers at Kennedy.

Waltham High School Principal John Graceffa said punishment for violence at schools is determined case by case.

“It can be expulsion, depending on the circumstances,” he said. “We try to work with parents and set up counseling.”

Graceffa said about 17 years ago Waltham High School began using a conflict resolution program, which involves a number of counselors. There are now two full-time conflict resolution counselors, both of whom are licensed social workers, and five school adjustment counselors who watch after students.

“We noticed new people were moving into the community. The community became more transient,” he said. “We saw some things and we said we want to do something (to address the changes in community). Our approach was pro-active. That’s one of the things in my 20 years being here that has made a remarkable difference in the (school’s) climate.”

Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com

District Attorney Leone and Middlesex Partnerships For Youth
Host Annual School Safety Summit

WALTHAM – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, in partnership with the non-profit organization, Middlesex Partnerships For Youth (MPY), presented the keynote address at MPY’s 13th Annual School Safety Summit held today at Bentley College.  The conference attracted nearly 300 school, law enforcement, and mental health workers from across Massachusetts.  Stoneham school personnel were among those in attendance.

Leone’s keynote address focused on strategies and initiatives that schools can implement to keep students safe. In particular, he highlighted the importance for schools to continue to establish a climate in which students are comfortable notifying teachers and school personnel when they believe there may be a safety threat. He also stressed the need for schools to have systems in place for students to anonymously report a threat and to develop specific Threat Assessment Teams to analyze and respond to threats to school safety.  

“The only way we can protect our students and establish a truly positive learning environment is to establish a healthy school climate,” Leone said in his remarks.  “That is why it is critical that schools establish a system in which students feel comfortable in reporting a threat and for schools to have threat assessment teams to asses and, if necessary, respond to those threats.”

Leone also presented the MPY’s “Citizenship in Action” Award, which is awarded each fall to an individual who has made a difference towards making communities safer and healthier.  This year, the award was given to Frank Molis, who works tirelessly for the City of Malden.   Molis is the Community Programs Director for the Malden YMCA, as well as oversees the Malden Youth Court program. 

Funded this year by the United States Attorney’s Office, the conference also featured US Attorney Michael Sullivan, who provided the welcoming remarks.

The program featured three nationally acclaimed school safety experts who addressed the crowd on how schools can create safe climates to prevent youth violence. The speakers were: Dr. Michael Corso, the Director of Field Services at the Quaglia Institute for Students Aspirations; Dr. Ron Slaby, developmental psychologist, educator and research scientist; and Dr. James Alan Fox, the Limpan Family Professor of Criminal Justice and Professor of Law, Policy and Society at Northeastern University. 

The conference was the largest attended MPY conference in the past decade.  

Teachers, school personnel, and law enforcement professionals from the following communities attended this conference:

·        Acton
·        Acton-Boxborough
·        Ashland
·        Ayer
·        Belmont
·        Billerica
·        Boxborough
·        Burlington
·        Cambridge
·        Concord
·        Dracut
·        Everett
·        Holliston
·        Hopkinton
·        Hudson
·        Lincoln
·        Lowell
·        Malden
·        Marlboro
·        Maynard
·        Medford
·        Nashoba Valley
·        Natick
·        Newton
·        North Reading
·        Sherborn
·        Shirley
·        Somerville
·        Stoneham
·        Sudbury
·        Tewksbury
·        Tyngsboro
·        Waltham
·        Wakefield
·        Watertown
·        Wayland
·        Westford
·        Weston
·        Wilmington
·        Winchester
·        Woburn

District Attorney Leone has made school safety a centerpiece of his administration, personally attending several Community Based Justice meetings in communities throughout the county. One of his first acts was to put all district court ADAs back in the schools, allowing his team of more than 50 attorneys to become ingrained in communities throughout the county, becoming more familiar with their students and schools, and working in partnership with them to prevent violence before it occurs.

He has launched a comprehensive effort to expand the intervention and prevention efforts, including the Community Based Justice programs, into the middle schools. Middlesex Partnerships For Youth, the office’s non-profit partner, has also expanded its prevention programs into the middle schools, providing trainings on important issues such as anti-bullying strategies, substance abuse prevention, and cyber protection.
          
MPY is a non-profit organization established in 1988 by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office to foster communication on school-related legal issues relating to substance abuse and violence.  Through Project Alliance, MPY’s primary initiative, the non-profit provides prevention and intervention resources, as well as training and programming to Middlesex school districts and communities using a combination of education, training and technical support. To address a variety of youth health and safety issues.  MPY’s membership now includes over 60 school districts.  For more information on Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc. and Project Alliance, please visit www.middlesexpartnershipsforyouth.org.

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Lowell police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s office will receive a $200,000 federal grant to fight gang and gun violence.

The Project Safe Neighborhood grant will help pay for and expand existing programs, according to a joint press release from the U.S. Attorney and Middlesex District Attorney. Among the programs affected are the Community Hotline, Crime Stoppers Tip Line and Lowell’s “Top Ten Most Wanted” program.

Additionally:

• The DA’s office will provide prosecutors with specialized gang-related crime training
• The DA’s office and non-profit Middlesex Partnerships for Youth will create a new training program for school administrators, teachers, and school resource officers on ways to reduce intolerance, identify gang activity, and work to prevent gang crimes.
• The Lowell Police Department’s Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit, there are as many as 25 active gangs in the city. These individuals, according to the LPD, are usually 17 to 24, with children as young as 10 entering gangs.