Lawrence hopes to cut crime with city ban on long knives
By Catherine Elton, Globe Correspondent | March 28, 2006
LAWRENCE -- To counter what city leaders say are loopholes in state law that have stymied efforts to curb knife-related crimes, Lawrence has adopted a ban on long-bladed knives.
Anyone found in Lawrence carrying a knife with a blade longer than 2 1/2 inches is subject to arrest and a fine of $100 to $300. Under the city ordinance, which was passed last week and will take affect next month, it is still legal to carry a knife to hunt, fish, or conduct work.
The ordinance seeks to get a whole range of knives off the streets. In Lawrence, officers say, people use knives with curved or double blades and spiked handles to commit crimes. They also use machetes, steak knives, and sharpened screwdrivers.
''The weapon of choice in Lawrence seems to be the knife," says Trooper Mark F. Blanchard, who works for the Essex district attorney's drug task force and pushed the city to consider enacting the ordinance.
Late last year, the city had a rash of drug-related stabbings, Blanchard said. Lawrence Police Department statistics indicate that 39 percent, 157 cases, of all assaults in Lawrence in 2005 involved knives.
News of the ordinance was well received at a number of businesses that have been robbed at knifepoint.
Fred Whittington was behind the counter at a convenience store last summer when someone he thought wanted to buy a phone card was suddenly wearing a ski mask, brandishing a blade, and demanding that Whittington empty the register.
''I guess I wasn't moving fast enough, and he stuck me in the arm and in the side," Whittington said, adding that the cuts were superficial.
''I think this law is a good thing. Why should anyone carry that stuff around?" he said.
The store he works at has been robbed numerous times, and employees say most of the robberies involved knives.
Peabody, Lynn, Salem, and other cities have similar ordinances. In Salem, police said the bylaw was enacted more than 10 years ago.
''We enforce it heavily," said Salem police Lieutenant Conrad Prosniewski. ''Anyone who gets caught carrying a knife with more than a 2 1/2-inch blade does get charged. I see it in court two, three times a week."
Blanchard said that Lawrence is one of the top drug source and destination areas in New England and that people who come to buy drugs in Lawrence or steal drugs from dealers often carry knives.
Lawrence is also rife with gang activity, city officials and local youths said.
Lawrence resident Aracelis Cruz, who said she has seen neighborhood brawls devolve into knife fights, welcomes the law.
''They'll arrest 100 people, and the rest will get scared out of carrying knives," she said.
Not everyone in Lawrence is as hopeful.
''That law is stupid," said Julio Rivera, a 17-year-old high school student. ''Lots of people will get arrested, but it's not going to change anything. People get arrested for drugs, and they get out and still deal drugs. Nothing ever changes in Lawrence."
Rivera said that with all the gang-related and drug violence on city streets, people need to carry weapons, including knives, to protect themselves.
But the Police Department maintains that the law will be a weapon for preventing crime.
''Our hope is that we find the people carrying knives before they use them," said Lawrence police Captain Michael Driscoll. ''Now carrying them will be enough to take [knives] off the street. The greatest way to reduce crimes is to prevent them from happening."
Megan Tench of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
