Local Collaboration Between Boston and Everett Fosters Strong Relationships

By Robert Cordasco, Special Operations, Boston Police Department

The Boston Police Department (BPD) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, also known as the Truck Team, became fully operational in 2005. Currently, Boston is one of only three local departments in the state of Massachusetts with a dedicated fulltime commercial motor vehicle (CMV) unit. However, other municipalities have officers who are certified Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety inspectors and are assigned to their respective departments’ traffic bureaus. The BPD Truck Team frequently works with fellow certified officers from the neighboring city of Everett.

The BPD Truck Team currently consists of three full-time officers and a supervisor. They are all certified to conduct:

• Level I Inspections

• Bulk Hazmat

• Non-Bulk Hazmat

• Other Bulk Packages

• Passenger Carrier

In the northeastern U.S., the major distribution center for the New England states is the Chelsea Produce Market, located directly outside of Boston in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Thousands of CMVs travel through Boston, as well as neighboring city Everett, on a weekly basis. Additionally, many hazmat vehicles utilize those same routes traveling to and from refineries and the Liquified Natural Gas Terminal located in Everett, as well as through Boston. Due to the heavy flow of traffic in Boston and Everett, police frequently combine resources to effectively ensure compliance of CMVs traveling through these cities. The partnership between local departments continues to foster a strong working relationship.

The photos below are from a recent combined hazmat inspection detail between Boston and Everett police in Sullivan Square, which borders both cities.