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Tyer, Bianchi Battle Over Public Safety In Wake Of Shooting
By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
07:23PM / Tuesday, July 07, 2015
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Fourth of July shooting may well have been the real start of the mayoral race.
 
The shooting left one man dead and four others injured — one of whom is still fighting for his life at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
 
Both incumbent Daniel Bianchi and challenger Linda Tyer were speaking out on the issue this week, with Bianchi defending his actions to date to ensure the public's safety and Tyer countering that it's not enough.
 
On Monday, Bianchi released a statement urging residents to get involved in neighborhood watches and expressed confidence in area law enforcement's efforts to solve the crime.
 
"The neighborhood watch program is an excellent resource for citizens to utilize. I will continue to strongly support the program. The purpose of a neighborhood watch program is to encourage and train neighbors to be the 'eyes and ears' for the police force. At no time should citizens act as the police. Those interested in establishing a new neighborhood watch program can contact the mayor's office and we will provide the appropriate tools. There is no cost for the training to create a neighborhood watch and there are numerous benefits from establishing one," Bianchi wrote in the statement.
 
The release continued to emphasize the public safety initiatives he embarked on in the last three years — including adding officers to the Police Department, hiring a crime analyst, the creation of a public safety task force, expanded neighborhood watch programs, launched a downtown ambassador program, and secured the Charles E. Shannon Grant, which has grown into a mentoring and job program for at-risk youth.
 
His top competitor, Tyer, responded on Tuesday, calling Bianchi's statements "reckless and irresponsible."
 
"Sadly, Mayor Bianchi's reaction and response to each episode of violence in our city is reckless and irresponsible. From dismissing the brutal death of a young man as unpleasant and now encouraging untrained citizens to confront dangerous criminals he has not demonstrated compassion or leadership in this crisis. Crime watches are helpful but not a solution," Tyer wrote in a statement on the campaign's Facebook page and later sent to media.
 
"I join with the people of Pittsfield in expressing outrage over the constant threats that exists in our community.  It is upsetting the lives of many responsible and respectable people who live and work here. Despite very difficult circumstances, our police officers do their very best to keep us safe. But we continue to suffer with the errors of this and prior administrations that allowed a condition of chronic understaffing in our Police Department. They have failed us. No other issue has greater meaning to the people of Pittsfield."
 
Tyer says if elected, she would create a collaborative of law enforcement professionals to implement new strategies for crime fighting. She also said the Police Department's staffing would be increased and added that with continual engagement with groups, she would combat the underlying issues leading to violence and crime.
 
Later on Tuesday, the mayor shot back calling Tyer's accusations "ridiculous" and "misleading to the public." 
 
"This issue should not be a political one. The victims, and their families and friends deserve better. Pittsfield citizens deserve better. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the law enforcement officials throughout Berkshire County. The work they are doing is far too important to be derailed by an irresponsible political attack and foolish innuendo," Bianchi wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
 
He said Tyer's plans to combat crime are exactly what he's put into place already so Tyer's release is misleading. The mayor had put together a team including the district attorney's office, police, the sheriff's office, and community groups for public safety.
 
"Not only is my opponent misleading the public but she is insulting the work of our law enforcement partners in this community," Bianchi said. "The Bianchi administration has done both and these efforts are only spokes in the wheel of ending violence in our community.  Our collaborative efforts across the community have made a deep and substantial impact. The partnerships I have formed with through my public safety task force have been essential for our community."
 
The city has had a number of shootings and violent incidents recent years, including a shooting last August that injured a 17-year-old and led to community calls for action.
 
"Crime and safety is an issue that is deeply upsetting to Pittsfielders. They deserve to know, and in fact are demanding to know, where all of the candidates for all offices stand on this matter," Tyer responded. "When I am invited into peoples homes for coffees and I'm knocking on doors, crime is the number one issue that I hear about from everyone I meet."

"Mayor Bianchi claims that he has made deep and substantial impact and violence. I wish he would have given us specifics. Because here's what I know — for the past two years mayor Bianchi has budgeted for only 65 patrol officers despite the recommendations of his own police advisory committee and the chief of police who both wanted an increase in the number of officers patrolling our streets."
 
Three others have taken out nomination papers but have not yet returned them to become official candidates: Eric Bassett, Craig Gaetani, and Donna Walto.
 
Updated at 9:48 p.m. on July 7 to add further comments by Tyer.
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