Boston Blotter: And the Beat Goes On

--A young woman was shot in Dorchester on Olney Street yesterday afternoon. She was struck several times and later died of her injuries.

In an absolutely terrible twist of fate, the woman was murdered just before an anti-violence rally planned for that night. Apparently she was just walking along minding her business when she was hit. No one has been arrested yet.

--After this horrible incident, we're glad more police will be walking the streets as part of a "Safe Street Team" program. A BPD press release announces that "Three teams comprised of six officers will be deployed to three areas in the city including Downtown, Grove Hall [Roxbury] and Bowdoin and Geneva [Dorchester]."

This new plan should increase "sustained, meaningful contact with business owners and families." Loosely translated, more police might mean that a) business owners and families don't feel scared all the time and b) aspiring perps are being watched.

Frankly, this sounds like the sharpest idea Commish Ed Davis has had in a while. And it's a no-brainer. More shootings and stabbings suggests more police presence is necessary. The city doesn't need more committees and studies and technology and such. It needs officers on the streets.

Poster of Police Academy 2, in which the unorthodox officers hit the streets, from Wikipedia.