We’ve all heard time and time again about the decline in morals, gratitude, and sometimes just plain common decency, when discussing the behavior of today’s teenagers. But in all honesty, I feel that when it comes to the younger generation, teenagers get a bum rap.

Behavior and morals, or the lack thereof, are learned or not at an early age and thus a person’s character is built. It seems to me that maybe our generation is partly to blame for the younger generation’s misgivings with parents refusing or unable to parent their kids. Not exactly good role models.

Speaking of role models, we have several fine examples that seem to get most of our attention. In sports we have Favre, Bonds, Clemens. In entertainment we have Lindsay Lohan and something called ‘Snookie.” In politics we have … well don’t get me started with “wide stances” and “preacher handshakes.”

But you get the picture: Good people get overlooked because good behavior is expected of them, and believe me, Dorchester has hundreds, no make that thousands, of fine examples of positive role models. Unfortunately the few bad examples get most of the ink. I’m guilty of that, because I must admit if it weren’t for the nitwits and losers out there, I wouldn’t have much to write about.
Today I’m not writing about any of our teenagers; no, this is about people who are old enough to know right from wrong, are thus very poor role models, and probably incapable of raising a goldfish.

Sept. 9, 5:40 p.m.
Officers responded to a Bowdoin Street high-rise for a report of threats. On arrival the victim played for the officers several threatening messages that a downstairs neighbor had left on his answering machine. One of the messages was, “Give me [bleeping] money or I’m going to kick your [bleeping] door down.” Suddenly there was a loud bang and the front door flew open and in came the 58-year-old downstairs neighbor, who was quickly placed in handcuffs. Well, at least he’s a man of his word, just had poor timing.

Sept. 24, 6:55 p.m.
These two Adams Street neighbors are close, so close that when one opens up the front door, it strikes the other neighbor’s front door. Which explains why they dislike each other, which explains why they were arguing, which explains why one of them ended the argument by hitting the other with a metal pipe. The 55-year-old suspect was arrested for assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

Sept. 5, 11:09 p.m.
There’s nothing I like better than a well-thought-out burglary caper. A good neighbor in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester Avenue was looking out his window on a sultry late-summer night when he observed a man walk down his neighbor’s driveway, look around the property, grab a pick axe, and break out the front passenger-side window of the victim’s car. The suspect then removed several items from the car and stuffed them into his pockets. Then, to add insult to injury he walked to the back of the house and took a child’s bike. He was last seen pedaling feverishly like Margaret Hamilton in the “Wizard of Oz” down the Avenue toward the Ashmont MBTA station. This info was given to the first arriving officer, who gave it out over the radio to all the other officers, and the suspect was stopped in Peabody Square. In his budge was a GPS that he claimed was his because, you know, all bicyclists carry one. Do they also carry a GPS charger, an iPod charger, two cell phone chargers, and a flashlight? Uh, no. He admitted his crimes and the 50-year-old idiot was charged with breaking and entering a motor vehicle, possession of burglarious tools, and larceny of a bike over $250. The owner of the car was given his property back and a lecture for leaving them in his vehicle and the 10-year-old owner of the bike was reunited with his property and told to properly store it in a safe place. Because you never know what kind of slime is lurking about.

Aug. 26, 7:56 p.m.
Officers responded to a report of an elderly female being robbed at Dorchester Avenue and Wrentham Street. While en route the officers were informed that two witnesses (from Dorchester) had chased down the suspect, stopped him, gotten the victim’s purse back, and were still following him all the way down Santuit Street off Welles Ave.. Boston officers located the 48-year-old career criminal in a backyard sweating profusely. The witnesses positively identified the suspect as the man they observed grab a purse away from a 76-year-old woman, cutting open her left ring finger in the process. A great job done by everyone involved, especially the two Dorchester men who gave chase and aided in the capture of a thug who preys on the elderly. These two individuals are truly fine role models for the youth of Dorchester!

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Many thanks to everyone who donated candy to us here at C-1l. Every morsel was bagged and given out to more than over 200 ghouls and goblins who visited us on Halloween night. As usual, the kids and their parents couldn’t have been nicer. Sgt. Doyle, Officer Rorie, and I still had a blast giving out the treats and again: Thank you so much.

There will not be a District C-11 Police meeting on Thursday, November 11, Veteran’s Day.