East Boston Neighborhood, Boston MA Crime Index
East Boston is one of the neighborhoods in Boston city, Suffolk County Massachusetts. The neighborhood was considered one of the safe neighborhoods to live and raise a family. According to reports by The Boston Police Department, the East Boston neighborhood recorded 693 criminal cases in the 2020 fiscal year. This figure represents a 24% rise in crime rate compared to the previous year. This crime figure also represents 4.1% of total incidents reported in the City of Boston in 2020, the figure was 2.9% in 2019.
The East Boston neighborhood recorded an estimated 1,540 criminal offenses per 100,000 population including
- 113 Violent Crimes (A 26% reduction relative to the previous year)
- Murder - East Boston did not record any case of murder for the year, as against two incidents in 2019.
- Rape - The neighborhood reported five cases of actual and attempted rapes in the year. This figure represents a 50% drop in the previous year’s number of cases.
- Robbery - The Police Department reported 56 cases of armed robbery in 2020 as against 53 in 2019.
- Aggravated Assaults - There were 112 domestic and non-domestic aggravated assaults in 2020, 23 more incidents than in 2019.
- 520 Property Crimes (a 28% hike compared to 2019 figures)
- Burglary - The neighborhood witnessed 83 cases of burglary in 2020, comprising 29 commercial and 54 residential burglaries. This total represents a 16.9% rise in the number of cases than in 2019 when the neighborhood reported 24 commercial and 47 residential burglaries.
- Larceny - East Boston recorded 387 total cases of theft in the year. This figure consists of 200 thefts from motor vehicles and 187 other forms of larceny. The total number of cases reported is 95 more than the figure in 2019.
- Motor Vehicle Theft: the neighborhood experienced 50 cases of auto theft in 2020, seven incidents less than the figure in 2019.
- Arson - The Police Department did not report any case of arson in the year.
Boston Municipal Court - East Boston Division
In addition to criminal and civil cases, the East Boston Division of the Boston Municipal Court presides over other matters including firearms license appeal, unemployment compensation appeal, and other actions by government agencies. The division also has an Adult Drug court. The court has eight divisions, one of which is the East Boston division, and it is located at:
37 Meridian Street
East Boston, MA 02128
Phone 1: (617) 569-7550 - (Clerk’s Office )
Phone 2: (617) 569-7553 - (Probation Department)
Email: bmceastboston@jud.state.ma.us
The courthouse is open from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Boston Municipal Court Department reported a total of 4,642 case filings. There were 1,092 Criminal cases, 1,107 Criminal Show Cause Hearings, and 130 Violations Hearings. Furthermore, the courthouse issued 248 Search Warrants, 395 Criminal Warrants, and 756 Administrative Warrants. The Boston Municipal Court Department also filed 1,294 Abusive Preventive Orders, 207 Civil cases, four Civil Remands cases, 673 Small Claims cases, 96 Summary Process cases, 30 Supplementary Process cases, 587 Civil Motor Vehicle Infraction Hearings, 114 Judge CMVIs, and 74 Mental Health cases.
Housing Court - Eastern Division
The Eastern Housing Court serves the City of Boston and Brookline. It oversees cases concerning all residential housing matters such as small claims cases, eviction cases, and civil actions that involve physical injury, property damage, discrimination, breach of contractual agreements, code enforcement actions, and appeals against the decision of the Zoning Board concerning residential housing. The court also offers “lawyer for the day” services for litigants to get legal advice, understand the law, know their rights, and fill out forms. The Eastern Housing Court is located at:
24 New Chardon Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone:(617) 788-8485 (Clerk’s Office)
Phone:(617) 788-6233 (Housing Specialist Department)
Email: EasternHousingCourt@jud.state.ma.us
The courthouse is open from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Massachusetts Trial Courts Statistics for the year 2020 showed that the housing court registered 6,769 cases during the year; also, the court resolved 1,384 cases through Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR). The court disposed of 6,322 cases of the cases registered.
Suffolk County Juvenile Court - East Boston
The Juvenile Courts preside over civil and criminal cases relating to youth offenders, delinquency, and care and protection. The Suffolk County Juvenile Court holds Jury trials, care and protection, and child-requiring-assistance cases in its Boston session and hears substance abuse and mental illness cases in every Suffolk County Juvenile Court site. The courthouse is located at:
120 Broadway
Chelsea, MA 02150
Phone:(617) 660-9225 (Clerk’s Department)
Phone: (617) 660-9241 (Probation Department)
Email: suffolk-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us
The courthouse is open from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Massachusetts Trial Courts Statistics for the year 2020 revealed that the Suffolk County Juvenile Court received
72 Adoption cases, four Adult Criminal cases, 1,162 Application for Complaint, 338 Child Care and Protection cases, 626 Child Requiring Assistance cases, one Civil Contempt, 620 Delinquency cases, 43 Failure to Cause cases, 51 Guardianship and 37 Harassments cases, two Mental illness cases, zero Name Change cases, 27 Paternity Support, 10 Substance Abuse cases, 39 Young Adult Permanency Hearings, and 29 Youthful Offender cases. The court received a total of 3,061 case filings.
Suffolk Probate and Family Court - East Boston
The Suffolk Probate and Family Court serves the East Boston neighborhood. It presides over probate and family-related issues, divorce, paternity, child custody, adoption, abuse prevention, parenting time, and parental rights termination. The court also handles estates administration, wills, guardianship, name change, and conservatorship. The courthouse is situated at:
24 New Chardon Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone 1: (617) 788-8301 (Register’s Office)
Phone 2: (617) 788-8210 (Probation Department)
Email: Suffolkquestions@jud.state.ma.us
The Court opens on Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The records available at the Massachusetts Trial Courts Statistics for 2020 revealed that the court filed a total of 11,576 cases. The statistics for case filings are further summarized as
- 1,943 cases of Estate Administration, 524 Change of Name cases, 1,244 Guardianship cases, 252 Conservatorship cases, and 112 Equity cases. The court also recorded 78 Child Adoption cases, 247 Special Immigration Juvenile Status cases, 4,135 Divorce cases, 1,008 Contempt cases, 1,863 Modification cases, and 170 Abuse Prevention cases.
Suffolk County Superior Court - East Boston
The Suffolk County Superior Court oversees cases relating to felonies, civil actions above $50,000, Medical Malpractice Tribunals, and labor-related cases, where plaintiffs seek equitable relief. The courthouse is open on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. It is located at:
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02108
Phone 1: (617) 788-8175 (Civil Clerk)
Phone 2: (617) 788-8160 (Criminal Clerk)
Phone 3: (617) 788-7255 (Probation Department)
Email: Suffolkcivil.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us (Civil Business)
Email: Suffolkcriminal.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us (Criminal Business)
The Massachusetts Trial Court records for the year 2020 showed that the court had 4,668 total case filings for the year, comprising 3,346 Civil cases and 1,322 Criminal cases.
COVID-19 Safety and Precautionary Measures
As a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the courthouse, although open, now conducts most of its operations virtually via phone, email, and videoconferencing. For persons attending court sessions remotely, the court has provided helpful information on remote court services. An individual may visit the courthouse house and follow the necessary guidelines to follow when visiting the courthouse during the pandemic.
