Page 24 - French and Electric Blue - Winter 2017-2018

In addition to the Traffic needs of E-4 and unwarranted homes to large number of the
there are specialized units within Troop E. The area’s homeless population. Sgt. Matt Cotugno
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit consists has served as the barracks liason to the homeless
of seven Troopers who are trained specifically community for the past 15 years. With the closure
in dealing with commercial vehicles and their of some area shelters over the past few years,
adherence to the CMRs that are adopted for travel the problem has grown to epidemic proportion.
on the Massachusetts Turnpike and Mass DOT E-4 has logged more than 350 calls in the past
tunnels and Bridges. The Motorcycle Unit was year for homeless and or pedestrians in the
formed at the inception of the E-4 barracks; it’s bridges, tunnels and roadways. Sgt. Cotugno
main function was to be able to work through has coordinated a combination of enforcement
traffic in the busy, congested areas that E-4 and social support efforts to help combat this
services. Although the troop motorcycle unit is no growing problem. The Homeless Outreach
longer a full-time dedicated unit, Troopers from Program practice of interviewing and recording
within Troop E man eight motorcycles on a part- field intelligence observations of people has
time basis. Those assigned to the motorcycles train proven helpful to other law enforcement agencies
regularly throughout the area.
and work
with the On average anywhere from 20-30 vehicles
MSP are towed in E-4 daily because they are disabled
Motorcycle or for enforcement reasons. There were over 1,800
Unit, summonses issued in the first 11 months of 2017.
providing Troopers from E-4 responded to more than 1,900
support in calls for MV crashes in that same period of time
large scale with approximately 600 of those being minor in
operations. nature. There were more than 300 arrests made
in the first 11 months of the year. Troopers also
The responded to hundreds of other calls for service
bridges and such as of medicals, car fires and pedestrians in
tunnels by the roadway. They have delivered babies, located
their nature people hidden and lost inside the tunnels, and
provide responded to suicidal citizens who often times are
unintended attracted to the Tobin Bridge.

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