By Andrea Gregory

A simple stroll around the neighborhood has turned into a game of don’t step on the
needles for the residents of Ten Hills. The problem first appeared about two months ago. Neighbors of the residential community, nestled between two major roadways, started seeing discarded syringes left on the sidewalk or side of the street. Many residents were surprised and frustrated.

Sheila Crean has lived in Ten Hills for less than two years. She said
the area came highly recommended as one of Somerville’s “best kept
secrets.” With its quiet streets and friendly feel, Crean knew she had
found home.

However, Crean may not have felt the same way if she had
seen dirty syringes tossed to the edges of the quiet neighborhood.

Crean is one of several residents who want to see her neighborhood
return to the way it was just a year back.

“Nobody should have to trip over needles,” she said. “We need to make it uncomfortable and annoying for drug users.”

Law enforcement and city officials are claiming a spike in dirty syringes is a direct result of a change in state law.  Police say the problem is citywide. However, an increase in hypodermic needles found in Ten Hills calls for concern. Police say 30 incidents of used syringes left lying around the neighborhood have been reported since March 1. Multiple needles have been collected from the scene for several of the reported incidents.

“There have been hundreds found since the law change,” said Somerville Police Capt. Paul Upton. “It is a real concern. We are very concerned about a child picking up a contaminated needle.”

Upton and several aldermen are noting the increase in dirty syringes littering Somerville’s residential neighborhoods, such as Ten Hills, is a result of the state’s decision to legally allow people to buy and carry hypodermic needles without a prescription.

It was illegal to possess a hypodermic needle in Massachusetts until an act to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C was adopted by the House and Senate last year. The idea was to combat the spreading of these diseases through shared needles by allowing anyone, including illegal drug users, to purchase clean needles.

However, the number of police incidents involving syringes recovered from public places has more than tripled since the change took effect in September 2006. Earlier this year, 100 needles were found in the sewers of East Somerville and it was just one of the reported incidents.

Some people feel changing the law devalued the street worth of syringes, making them much more disposable. Neighbors of Ten Hills say the change may have attributed to the visibility of drug activity or at least the traces of dirty needles left behind after a high.

Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero is calling for a city ordinance in response to the recent legislation regarding hypodermic needles.  ‚ÄúWe are going to send it to legislative matters. I would like it to be something considered and thought about,‚Äù said Pero, who first proposed it to the board last week.

“People were walking their dogs or around their neighborhood and finding needles. There were literally dozens of them found. It’s a problem citywide,”Aldermen Bruce M. Desmond and Maryann Heuston also have asked the city’s health director to research needle-collection programs and create one in Somerville.

Robert C. Trane, Ward 7 alderman and board president, said he is not confident needle drop-off places will correct the problem.  ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt think it does. You are talking about a junky here. I think these people would shy away from it,‚Äù said Trane.

Trane said he keeps a special container for disposing needles and a pair a rubber gloves in his car. He has seen a handful of needles and personally taken them off the street.

“It is a concern that people are finding syringes,” said Alderman-at-large Bill White.

White said he also sees a connection between the state law change and the increase of needles found in public places. Basically, the street value has dropped and now they are not as important to hold onto.

‚ÄúThey were difficult to come by and were a valuable commodity,‚Äù said White.  It did not take long before a plan of action was formed in the Ten Hills neighborhood. Using the city‚Äôs CTY program, more than 300 residents were informed of the problem last month. Police also stepped up their presence in the area.

A neighborhood meeting was held last week. More than 30 people showed up at a meeting for residents interested in forming a neighborhood watch group or neighborhood advisory group. Aldermen and police also attended. With strong interest from the onset, the group hopes to lower crime, reduce drug activity and form a closer-knit community.

While the city works on its initiatives to deal with dirty needles left in public places, Ten Hills residents are optimistic about what a neighborhood group can do, and they say that in a crisis people come together.  ‚ÄúYou get to know your neighbors, and good things will come out of it,‚Äù said Linda Bohan.

Although it is important for people to be aware of the problem, officials worry the problem will not go away without the state legislature revisiting and taking action to curb the situation. 

“The way it is right now is not good. I am very concerned there is going to be a real tragedy before there is a solution,” said Upton. “The solution needs to come from agencies beyond the police department.”