--Some none-too-bright teens robbed a pizza delivery guy of his pie yesterday in Dorchester. After scoring their pizza, they took off, and the BPD had the easiest time ever finding them. For starters, they left footprints in the snow, and they dropped pizza crusts in their building. [BPD News] --A heroic mother in Dorchester contacted police after suspecting her 15-year-old was hiding a loaded weapon in her home. Police searching the home came up with......

--A BPD officer allegedly held up the Best of Boston gas station in Roslindale. You read that right. A BPD officer held up a gas station yesterday afternoon. The officer, 44-year-old Michael T. Jones, wasn't in uniform, nor was he driving his cruiser, but he used his police gun in the robbery. Police Commish Ed Davis, who has dealt with headache after headache in this job, called it "reprehensible," and that's an understatement. Jones has......

--Just because you're a Harvard student doesn't mean you're smart. The Crimson reports that a junior was arrested for "hitting and kicking a police officer and breaking the window of a patrol car." What could have irritated him so much? His friends said that he was "intoxicated at the time." That's an understatement. --Anarchist wannabes have been torching a few American flags in Western Mass, police say. On Friday night, a large flag hanging in......

--An officer with the Boston Police Department was caught abusing his girlfriend in Baltimore, and now the BPD says it can't fire him. According to O'Ryan Johnson, Batlimore gave the officer, Lt. David Murphy, "probation before judgment," so he got 18 months probation. Commish Ed Davis says that since Murphy wasn't convicted, Murphy can't be punished. --As of this time, the BPD believes that the two fatal shootings in Dorchester and Roxbury on Friday were......

--Twenty-five enterprising members of the BPD found a way to make over $200,000 last year. 121 police officers make more money than Commish Ed Davis. This information goes to show how much money goes into the police details, and how much it would save if the state went with Governor Deval Patrick's plan to use flagmen instead of details at construction sites. --WBZ' I-Team found that Massachusetts State Troopers caused "nearly 500 crashes in their......

--The BPD is starting yet another crime-stopping program that is sure to raise eyebrows. In this case, police will search bedrooms of teenagers suspected of having guns without a warrant. Regarding the alarming "without a warrant" part, the BPD plans to ask the parent for permission first. The rationale for this is that some parents may know their kids have guns, but they don't know what to do about it. Commish Ed Davis and DA......

--It seemed as if the World Series put a cork in local gun incidents or the media (Bostonist included) was too busy with the Sox to notice. Now the cork is out of the bottle. The 45-year-old owner of Stalex Pizza in Dorchester was shot in the head this morning when he tried to go after an 18-year-old who robbed his shop. The man is in critical condition. The BPD announced that officers moved fast......

--Six drag racers got busted for sneaky-driving on Washington Street in Roslindale early Sunday morning. Jessica M. Smith of the Roslindale Transcript reports that the racers set up lookouts. Five Honda Civics were towed as well. Did Honda Civics strike you as worthy of 2 Fast 2 Furious? --Mayor Menino and Commish Ed Davis have announced that they want colleges to crack down on students who act up during the World Series. Menino said that......

A 15-year-old boy allegedly shot Boston Bengals Pop Warner football coach Myron Stovell in the leg yesterday afternoon. Stovell was at Washington Park in Roxbury to lead a team practice. Why? A witness told the Globe that the teenager and Stovell got in a fight over something Stovell may have done to the kid's dog: "'He hit the kid's dog, that's why they did it to him. He hit their dog, and they came onto......

--The Commish Ed Davis - DA Dan Conley back-and-forth continues. Davis put out a three-page letter explaining why the State Police shouldn't be working on MBTA or transit-related homicides. The State Police doesn't appear to give a crap whether they are working on those homicides or not. But the transit police chief has taken Conley's side and said they would like state police on those cases. Of course, the time it took Conley to develop......

The turf wars aren't limited to Boston. The Globe reported on an internal fight within the Gloucester PD that should make you feel a little better about the BPD's petty tiffs. A lieutenant for the GPD accused police chief John Beaudette of "running into him stomach-first during a recent confrontation over the deployment of officers." We looked at the Globe's picture of Lieutenant Jerris Cook, along with ones the Gloucester Times took of chief Beaudette.......

What, the mayor leaves town and stuff goes nuts? Ever since Commish Ed Davis shook up his staff without Suffolk DA Dan Conley's consultation, the DA's office and the BPD haven't been the best of pals. Now, those relations are even frostier because Conley decided that the State Police - not the BPD - will be in charge of investigating any MBTA homicides. Conley says he's doing this to even everyone's workload. The BPD has......

--Follow-Up: The three people who were shot on Dubois Street on Saturday night may have been in the crossfire of a gang shoot-out. One of the victims was Joyce Gomes, a 68-year-old woman who was sitting on her porch. Gomes got hit in the leg. Wounded grandmas, white female tourists, and State Houses make Commish Ed Davis sit up and take notice. Expect another sweep of the Dubois Street area soon. The Globe has a......

--Remember that little incident on the Common in which two people were found shot near the McDonald's on Sunday night? Well, it left a bullethole in a State House window that was near governor Deval Patrick's suite. A spokeswoman for the governor said that he was "deeply disturbed" and "particularly upset," which seems to us to be code for "royally pissed off." Patrick likes to keep his stuff nice - not to mention safe. Five......

Some things just don't fit on the Blotter, especially when they involve potential mistakes on the part of the BPD. Here's our semi-regular attempt to follow up or tell you about the incidents that are making Police Commish Ed Davis sweat. --When officers go to police academy, are they trained on what to do if one of your loved ones is arrested? Because a BPD officer has a serious problem on her hands. Over last......

--The BPD announced that it is increasing foot patrols by adding 54 officers to the street beat. Commish Ed Davis held a conference yesterday at Codman Square. Right now, 18 beat officers total cover downtown, Grove Hall, and Bowdoin-Geneva. Here is a full list of where the new beat officers will patrol: Eagle Hill (A-7/ East Boston), two teams in Codman Square (B-3 Mattapan/Dorchester), Morton Ave and Blue Hill Avenue (B-3 Mattapan/Dorchester), Egleston Square (E-13/......

Robert Dunford, second-in-command of the BPD, must attend "sensitivity training" because he compared sexual assaults to "courting rituals." Dunford put his foot in his mouth on Thursday during a meeting discussing sexual assaults in East Boston. The Herald writes that Dunford specifically compared groping to "a new way of courting." We don't know what kind of "courting rituals" Dunford's witnessed or been involved with, but the comment was offensive on so many levels. It boggles......

--The shootings of five people, including a 9-year-old girl, that took place in two different places in Mattapan on Saturday night may be related. Commish Ed Davis, who has been especially busy lately, referenced possible gang activity. The 9-year-old got shot in the back. In sheer coincidence, one of the shootings interrupted yet another birthday party. We're not sure why birthday parties have gotten so dangerous, but some gun-toting, allegedly birthday-hating thug(s) popped off and......

--So Commish Ed Davis reorganized the police department over the weekend, shuffling people around and, according to the Globe eliminating some of the tensions distracting the department from solving crimes. Davis said he wanted "people who would work together" in charge. But a new feud may have sprung up instead. Suffolk County DA Dan Conley said publicly that he isn't happy at all with the changes within the BPD. Conley isn't happy because Ed Davis......

--Early this morning, a man was found dead at 50 Archdale Road in Roslindale. That spot is, in BPD lingo, "known to police" - five young men were arrested for illegal firearms back in 2006. --In an instance of incredibly bad timing, a man got shot last night after a Dorchester peace rally at Dudley Street Park. Apparently the shooters didn't get the memo about that whole peace thing. The shooters haven't been caught, but......

Early reports said that 8-year-old Liquarry Jefferson* was shot and killed by a group of armed men who burst into his family's home. The police smelled something fishy, and the truth came out. Liquarry was shot by his 7-year-old cousin. Apparently the family tried to protect the boy. Perhaps they didn't know that the cousin is too young to be charged for the crime. He and his mother are now talking to police. There's no......

The fatal stabbing possibly caused by a spilled beer is catching a lot of attention, and the Herald's Michele McPhee reported yesterday that Commish Ed Davis wants to close down the South Boston bar where it took place. The Herald explains that The 6 House used to be Triple O's, where Whitey Bulger – gasp! - nested. Also, City Councilor Bill Linehan's son sustained injuries from a stabbing near The 6 House the night......

Who knew that Commish Ed Davis' radical new idea of having police officers patrol the streets might actually work? According to the Globe, crime is down in Bowdoin-Geneva, Grove Hall, and Downtown Crossing, where the new beats started. Since the back-to-basics plan is doing so well, Davis wants to add even more regular foot patrols. We agree that the Blotter looks slightly less crazy as of late. But we're curious. What happened to the Guardian......

Some people use the Marathon to showcase their physical skills. Others use it to showcase their drinking talents. The BPD rounded up eight people (!!!) for boozing it up along the edges of the marathon. Most of them got charged with drinking in public or drinking as a minor, but one guy from Brookline probably drew attention to the group because the law got him for "crossing the Marathon route and interfering with runners." --Today's......

--Universal Hub spotted a few brief lines in the Transcript's police and fire log: "A West Roxbury woman reported to police that her neighbor, who accused her dog of soiling his lawn, threw dog feces on her lawn. A harassment report was filed." One can only imagine the years of simmering resentment as poop appeared on the neighbor's yard. Whether or not this woman's dog was the source of the poop, it's easy to see......

The friendly powers-that-be are setting the boundaries for this year's St. Patricks' Day festival. Whether or not these priorities are enforced remains to be seen, but you may as well know about them lest you become acquainted with someone who isn't quite feeling the luck of the Irish. The BPD released a statement on what you might be able to expect from law enforcement while you're celebrating: Throughout the weekend and on Parade Day, the......

--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......

We just critiqued the Boston police in the last post, but we will offer praise when it is due. The BPD has banned the use of pellet guns in crowd control following the 2004 death of Victoria Snelgrove, which happened after the Red Sox American League Championship Series victory over the Yankees. Commish Ed Davis himself said the guns will be melted and used for sewer caps. (That's probably where all guns should wind up......

Can you have a proper blotter if you can't report a crime? Yesterday afternoon, residents of East Boston lost 911 service briefly thanks to what the BPD described as "Verizon technical issues." In this world of iPhones and camera phones and phones that could butter your bread, not being able to call 911 because of "technical issues" is unacceptable. If you ever have 911 issues, the BPD website says you can call a BPD operator......