January 2, 2024

Dear Lynn Public Schools Community:

The priority of the Lynn Police Department is the safety of the Lynn community. We acknowledge with you the pain and anxiety caused by the senseless acts of violence that occurred these past few days. The families of these young men will never be the same, and the grief that they are experiencing is shared by their friends and the school community where they were students.

We understand that the destructive decisions of a few are also profoundly impacting our community's sense of safety and security. We want you to know that the Lynn Police Department, the Lynn School Department, the Mayor's office, and our elected officials understand these concerns. We are working diligently to coordinate an increased police presence when schools reopen on Wednesday so that students, faculty, and staff can feel safe in a learning environment. Initially, this will include assigning a uniformed officer to be present when Lynn Classical is in session. In the long term, we are also evaluating staffing options to assign an officer to a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) position more permanently.

We also want you to know that the Lynn Police Department's Gang Unit and the Drug Task Force have been proactively working with representatives from the Massachusetts State Police and our partners at the FBI, ATF, and DEA to prioritize investigations, patrols, and suppression of gang-related activity. We also partner with service providers within this community, including ROCA, Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy (LYSOA), Catholic Charities, LifeScene, and the Lynn Parks and Recreation Department to disrupt gang recruitment, provide a way out of gangs to those who want it and provide safe alternatives to gang involvement for the youth in this community.

Despite these ongoing efforts, there has been an uptick in brazen acts of violence by known gang members. The Lynn Police Department is here to serve and protect, and we will continue to do what is needed to address this alarming increase in violence and bring those involved in this week's shootings to justice. Lynn is a strong community filled with good people. As a community, we need to continue to work together. We also need the public to be forthcoming with information that can help stop this violence. If you have any information about these incidents, you can call LPD at 781-595-2000. To submit an anonymous tip, go to lynnpolice.org, click "Submit a Tip," or text TIP411 (847411).

Together we will work to stop violence in our city.

Sincerely,

Chief Christopher Reddy, Lynn Police Department

Mayor Jared Nicholson, City of Lynn

Evonne S. Alvarez, Ed.D., Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools

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