On Brookline

Sources tell me that the same police officers who rushed into court to charge Town Meeting Member Arthur Conquest from the Brawl at Town Hall [view the police reports here] were also involved in another arrest at the site of a controversial real estate development a few years back. The where and when is not important, but the fact that the officers’ names pop up again is.

In case you missed it, a few months back On Brookline reported that a newly minted lieutenant on the police force, Richard Allen, is listed as “of counsel” to his brother’s law firm, that of Selectman Robert “The Mensch” Allen [see previous posts]. Is this ethical? Hell, this is Brookline we’re talking about, why get hung up on ethics?

It would appear to me, though, that this is more evidence of a highly politicized police force. Given that Robert Allen is corporate attorney to developers, and has seemingly acted on their behalf while in office (i.e., a development at 71 Spooner Road), the law firm to police department axis raises serious questions.

But don’t think anyone is about to try to find the answers. Not the State Ethics Commission, they’re busy chasing down low level municipal employees for failing to contribute to the coffee fund. Not the Brookline Chief of Police, he’s busy marking off the calendar days to retirement. Not the other Brookline Selectmen, there are no visible signs of courageous life coming out of that group.

And if you think Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, the county’s chief law enforcement officer, is going to take action, I’ve got news for you. Selectman Allen has pimped him to the tune of $3 thousand in campaign donations drawn largely from cronies with development interests in Brookline [see previous post].

Here’s the lesson out of this - if you’re going to oppose a development project in Brookline, be sure to wear protection.