THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 4, 1995 TAG: 9501040404
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
DATELINE: BROOKLINE, MASS. LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The Brookline police used to call the job of guarding the abortion clinics in town ``the baby killer detail.'' But when Operation Rescue made the clinics a target, back in 1988, everything changed.
``The town made a commitment: The clinics will be open,'' said Lt. Bill McDermott, a detective who made himself an expert on Operation Rescue, one of the most radical groups opposing abortion, and other anti-abortion groups. ``The police department backed it up. Even when they drove their cars up and cemented themselves in, we managed to keep the clinics open.''
The town succeeded until Friday, when a lone gunman shot up two of the clinics, killing two receptionists, wounding five people - and closing down the clinics. The Planned Parenthood clinic, where the shootings began, is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, with added security and new metal detectors. Preterm Health Services, the gunman's second target, was still closed on Monday. When it will reopen is unclear.
America's most violent abortion clinic attack had occurred in Brookline, a town with a reputation for liberalism, where the police, the district attorney, the selectmen and most of the citizens had worked together to keep the clinics safe and operating.
Keeping the clinics open was not easy. The Brookline Police Department has only 12 jail cells, and some days the police arrested more than 200 anti-abortion demonstrators. The prisoners would then spend weekends in the police garage or the town recreation center. Protecting the clinics cost the town more than $200,000 over the last five years - for everything from police overtime to special barricades to extra handcuffs.
The police department was not always as liberal as the town it protected. ``Operation Rescue had one great effect,'' said McDermott, who is 46 and has 26 years on the force. ``Before them, a lot of cops were anti-abortion. Some of them didn't want to work for `baby killers.' It used to be, `The baby killer detail's open.' They'd say, `I ain't working the baby killer detail.' Then it became all anti-Rescue. It opened some people's emotional eyes. It was more like `Make your statement, but don't break the law.'''
Asked where he stood on abortion, McDermott, who is Roman Catholic, said, ``I'm pro-law.'' ILLUSTRATION: KRT Map
KEYWORDS: ABORTION CLINIC by CNB