Zero tolerance in wake of recent murder on Hyannis Village Green…

HYANNIS – [HN NOTES] – There was a time in the mid-1980s when a burly and rather gruff Barnstable Police sergeant, known for his colorful – but unmistakably sincere – directives, came into roll call telling the incoming officers “aggressive patrols tonight,” especially in The Village…

… and what he meant was that our downtown Hyannis streets were filled with families, locals and summer visitors alike, all expecting a peaceful time while enjoying the many shops and restaurants on our beautiful Main Street. What he meant was there was absolutely no room for drunken or violent shenanigans when innocents were simply out trying to have a relaxing time in our family friendly downtown Hyannis. And we all took his words seriously, knowing exactly what he meant, and we would fill the jail cells if it came to that.

We took a great deal of pride in Hyannis being safe for everyone in those days…

… and today’s officers most certainly feel the same way, but are there enough of them available out there these days, consistently patrolling the Village Green and surrounding streets?

In the wake of last week’s brutal murder, where 32-year-old Nicholas A. Galanto is accused of taking a shiny brand new knife he had allegedly just bought at K-Mart and viciously plunging it completely into another man’s chest, police are on high alert. The last thing this town needs is more violence on its Village Green, and in this case its brick walkway leading up to one of Barnstable Town Hall’s main entrances. It’s meant to be a park where our precious children can run around barefoot, without the very real fear of stepping on a hypodermic needle, or God forbid, being subjected to an act of senseless violence. It’s meant to be a park where families can go and relax and not feel threatened.

Brenden S. Flynn, a “good kid” by many accounts, had been reportedly engaged in casual conversation with another man that evening. He had absolutely no idea he was about to die. And why should he, he was standing next to a park bench on our village green. If anywhere was meant to be safe and free from homicidal levels of violence, it was here. An eyewitness alleges Galanto simply came walking over, the shiny new knife in hand and ready for action…

… and what happened next was wholly unexpected and deeply shocking, to say the very least. Click here to read HN’s report of the horrific alleged details of last week’s murder on the Hyannis Village Green…

Fast forward one week later to this evening, where it’s all hands on deck for our local patrols, with officers making frequent checks of one of our most valuable town properties, with officers not in the mood for bullshit… with an old-school police lieutenant not taking any, arresting a man for walking around totally smashed with an open container of alcohol, while families sat nearby simply trying to enjoy our beautiful green… we are catching a glimpse of a time when we actually had more cops out patrolling the downtown area. A time where a burly foul-mouthed, yet well meaning, police sergeant could rally his patrols and expect results, because we had the numbers back then. We had young officers walking in tandem, aggressively and decisively patrolling every square inch of our downtown area. Visitors felt safe. People who did not respect our rules knew it was not the place for them to hang out. And if they didn’t get the memo, they soon would. Period.

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P.S. – Hytown Vignette music by the Grateful Dead… [CRANK IT! USE HEADPHONES! SMOKE CIGARETTES IF YOU GOT ‘EM!]