Video Top police union leader reveals why blue city officers are leaving for greener pastures Law enforcement officers in primarily Democrat-run areas continue to flock to red states for job security, better pay and bosses who will back them up, according to the National Fraternal Order of Police vice president Joe Gamaldi.
Boston officials spent the years after George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests pushing a mental health-first response model meant to reduce the role of police in psychiatric emergencies. But that strategy came under scrutiny Saturday after police said a man in crisis stabbed an officer.
The city’s flagship approach built on the long-running Boston Emergency Services Team, or BEST, a partnership that Boston police say has been in place since 2011.
After the 2020 unrest, however, City Hall moved to expand and elevate that model. In April 2021, Boston launched a pilot explicitly aimed at increasing the role of mental health workers and decreasing the role of police in crisis calls.
Boston Police and investigators are at a brownstone at Hemenway Street near the Northeastern University campus where a person was shot and Boston police officers injured on April 4, 2026. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Police Commissioner Michael Cox said officers were called around 10:45 a.m. after a man reported that four armed people outside his apartment near Northwestern University wanted to harm him.
Officers could not find anyone matching that description, but spoke with the caller through the door and then requested EMS and a mental health clinician, through the BEST program, after concluding he was in immediate need of psychiatric help.
According to Cox, EMS and the clinician spent roughly 35 to 45 minutes talking with the man from outside the apartment and trying to persuade him to come out for treatment.
Boston Police and investigators are at a brownstone at Hemenway Street near the Northeastern University campus where a person was shot and Boston police officers injured on April 4, 2026. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Instead, police said, he suddenly emerged carrying a sword, stabbed a Boston officer in the arm and knocked the clinician to the ground.
"One or more officers fired a Taser and their firearm at the individual, bringing the person to a halt," the commissioner said. "EMS immediately provided medical attention. Unfortunately, the person succumbed to the injuries."
Boston Police and investigators are at a brownstone on Hemenway Street near the Northeastern University campus where a person was shot and Boston police officers injured on April 4, 2026. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The officer stabbed was given a tourniquet on scene before being taken to the hospital. Several officers and two EMS clinicians were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
"Today serves as a reminder of the dangers inherent in this work and the sacrifice our members make every day. Members of Boston EMS show up to save lives — not to be assaulted. No one should face violence for simply doing their job," Boston EMS said in a statement.
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"Our thoughts are with our injured members, the Boston Police officers, and everyone affected by today’s incident."
Fox News Digital reached out to the police and mayor for comment.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X @s_rumpfwhitten
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