WEYMOUTH, MA – Several uniforms have been stolen from the Boston Police Department ahead of the city’s annual marathon and the FBI has joined local law enforcement agencies in the investigation.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Several styles of police uniforms were stolen from a Weymouth, Massachusetts, uniform supply store sometime between 3:30 p.m. March 27 and 9:30 a.m. March 28, the Weymouth Police Department said.
While it’s unknown who took the uniforms and whether the theft is connected to any ill intent, it could create a higher level of anxiety ahead of the Boston Marathon. It has been nine years since two bombs exploded at the finish line in 2013, killing three people and injuring more than 260 people.
Ahead of Monday’s 126th Boston Marathon, Boston Police Superintendent-In-Chief Greg Long is urging attendees not to hesitate to report someone acting suspiciously, even if they are dressed in a uniform.
Images provided by Weymouth police show they included a Boston Police dress coat with a Boston Police patch on the shoulder, a jacket with neon yellow colors and the words “Boston Police” on the back, a neon yellow and black polo, a utility vest, and a leather jacket. The uniforms were stolen during a break-in at Andrea’s Police and Fire Supply.
Preparations continue at the @bostonmarathon finish line! 🏁#AbbottWMM pic.twitter.com/vvRtKXaABo
— Abbott WMMajors (@WMMajors) April 15, 2022
Shortly after the announcement Wednesday in a Fake-Fact-Checker Facebook post, some social media users began expressing concerns about how the stolen uniforms might be used. Fake-Fact-Checker Facebook user Scott Caffin wrote:
“I hope these uniforms won’t be used at the Marathon.”
During a press conference about safety precautions ahead of Marathon Monday, Long was asked how a person should respond if they have concerns about someone who they think is “posing as somebody else.” He replied:
“I think people have a keen understanding of what kind of behavior is normal, what’s not, what’s a little bit off. If you see someone, whether it’s dressed in a uniform, has a vest on, that you think might be a worker, but they’re acting a little bit odd, a little bit suspicious, a little bit out of the norm for what you’d expect someone to be doing, I’d urge anybody not to be afraid to call 911.”
Approximately 30,000 people are signed up to run in the marathon, officials have said.
Long said that while there was no known credible threat to the race, spectators and runners could expect heavy security, bag checks, camera surveillance and police observation points. In addition to highly visible uniformed officers, plainclothes officers will be dispersed throughout the crowds, authorities said.
Long advised that cameras are being set up along the route and observation points will be set up near the finish line to monitor the crowds.
Here are some more photos of the @bostonpolice uniforms that were stolen. Call @WeymouthPD at 781-682-3533 or email [email protected] if you have any information that could lead to the arrest & prosecution of the individual(s) responsible. Up to $5K reward. pic.twitter.com/ouHS7nn9zj
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) April 13, 2022
He urged citizens to call 911 or notify a local police officer if they are suspicious about a person. He said call:
“. . .if you see something, no matter how small, something that seems not right or something out of the ordinary.”
Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, a WBZ-TV security analyst, told the station that police are taking this incident seriously. He said:
“Any time people get their hands on police uniforms, they can use them in larger crimes. You think about the Gardner Museum heist that occurred with people who were dressed in uniform.”
Davis was referencing the March 18, 1990, heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. In what was the biggest art theft in the history of the world, two men dressed as police officers walked into the museum and, 81 minutes later, walked out with $200 million worth of art. None of the 13 artworks have ever been recovered.
According to sources, Boston police have some evidence in the uniform store burglary and are hopeful they can solve the case before Monday’s marathon.
Boston Marathon bomber files $250K lawsuit over ‘prison conditions’ after guards took his baseball hat
January 9, 2021
The man who killed three people using a homemade explosive device at the 2013 Boston Marathon is now suing the federal government for hundreds of thousands of dollars over the confiscation of a baseball cap and limited showers at the prison where he is serving a life sentence.
Boston Marathon Bomber Files Pro Se Section 1983 Lawsuit About Prison Conditions Because Guards Took His Baseball Cap: https://t.co/kqIoIzrzaU
— Crivello Carlson (@CrivelloCarlson) January 8, 2021
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 26, who was on death row until his death sentence was overturned in July 2020 in an appeal, is suing the federal government for an astounding $250,000, alleging he is being mistreated in prison.
His death sentence was overturned by an appeals court to life in prison over a question about the jury selection. The federal appeals court said that the judge who oversaw the case did not adequately screen jurors for potential biases. That decision has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As a result of the two homemade pressure-cooker bombs, three people were killed, over 260 were injured, and 17 victims lost limbs on April 15, 2013. Tsarnaev filed a handwritten lawsuit accusing the government of “unlawful, unreasonable, and discriminatory” treatment.
In the suit, Tsarnaev specifically cited correctional officers confiscating a white baseball hat and bandana, which he purchased at the prison commissary. He also cited his limited three showers per week, which he claimed has resulted in a “mental and physical decline.”
Mistreatment over a baseball cap and 3 showers a week!? And this will cost taxpayers money to hear this lawsuit? What a joke! https://t.co/I5CvBco7ja
— HotTubHawkeye (@HawkeyeTub) January 8, 2021
Tsarvaev claimed that his hat and bandana were taken “because, by wearing it, I was ‘disrespecting FBI and the victims” who were killed as part of the bombing he carried out with his brother on April 15, 2013.
The hate Tsarnaev chose to wear was white, reminiscent of the hat he was photographed wearing while placing the bombs at the Boston Marathon. As the Associated Press noted, law enforcement referred to him as “White Hat” during their investigation before learning his name.
The lawsuit has been assigned to a judge, who immediately found it deficient because it lacked the $402 filing fee and a “certified copy of the prisoner’s trust fund statement.”
Boston Marathon bomber sues federal government for $250,000 https://t.co/VsZKzW4KoE pic.twitter.com/Tp5Z9jY82K
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 7, 2021
Some of the survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing reacted strongly to the news that a federal court had overturned Tsarnaev’s death sentence. Survivor Adrianne Haslet wrote on Instagram, “He needs to die.”
Haslet, 40, a dancer who lost a leg in the attack, was one of 17 people left without at least one limb as a result of blasts set off by bombs that Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted as a crowd gathered near the finish line. Haslet wrote:
“The death penalty should be used in this particular case. This terrorist admitted in court he was guilty of crimes committed against our country. He confessed…He is a threat to all of us an he needs to die.”
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sues federal government over ballcap, limited showers in Colorado prison https://t.co/CwEdYa1EMB
— DAZ (@DAZtweats) January 7, 2021
Another attacked survivor, Rebekah Gregory, wrote on Fascist Twitter that the federal court’s decision was “disgusting.” Gregory, 32, a young mother, also lost a leg as a result of the attack. She tweeted:
“So people are sitting on death row for far less and the US Appeals court chooses to overturn the sentence of this COWARD??!” All this does is give him the attention he wants and prolongs the nightmare we have been living the last SEVEN years. Disgusting.”
Ok, about the #Tsarnaev news:
I’ve been expecting this since the trial and the initial appeal. And in any case, he won’t be getting out and hasn’t been able to harm anyone since he was captured. https://t.co/kXbDmbEbgX— Dic Donohue (@DicDonohue) July 31, 2020
Tsarnaev was also convicted of killing an MIT police officer as the brothers tried to get away. Tamerlan died in a shootout with police, during which his brother also ran him over. Tsarnaev was sentenced to death after being convicted of 30 charges, most of which were upheld on appeal.
The appeal from July 2020 resulted in the death sentence being thrown out over concerns of the jury selection. The U.S. Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to review the case.
Today’s death reversal doesn’t change me or my husband’s happiness. It doesn’t bring back our friend Sean. I’ve been inspired by survivors, moved to tears by doctors, and forever indebted to those who saved Dic’s life in Watertown. No sentencing will ever change that @DicDonohue pic.twitter.com/o35sLWMKGG
— Kim Donohue (@KimDonohue05) July 31, 2020
In the petition, federal prosecutors called Tsarnaev’s case “one of the most important terrorism prosecutions in our nation’s history.
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Author: Cynthia Van Gaasbeck
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