To the Editor:

Just before leaving for Washington to become US Labor Secretary, former Mayor Marty Walsh promoted Dennis White to be the new police commissioner with no vetting or national search.  White had been on the force for decades, but two days after his appointment, Walsh put him on paid administrative leave when past domestic abuse allegations involving his former wife and a young woman were reported in the press. 

How White climbed the ranks of the Boston PD is part of the “Great Wall of Blue Silence” here in Boston.  Acting Mayor Kim Janey has fired White, but he will continue to fight in court.

We’ve also learned that retired Officer Patrick Rose, Sr., who was at one time voted in as president of the PD’s patrolman’s union, was accused of molesting a child back in 1995 and thereafter rose through the department’s ranks.   Apparently, that “blue wall” protects cops even when they harm children. 

Rose is now in prison awaiting trial after five more adults came forward with credible abuse allegations.

Finally, federal investigators are uncovering a massive overtime fraud scheme in the police department.  To date, 14 current or former Boston police employees have been charged with falsifying timesheets as a way to collect more than $300,000 in fraudulent overtime.

Enough is enough!   Bostonians desperately need meaningful change in the Police Department and a mayor who will make it happen.

Laurie Martinelli
Dorchester