Show but our peskiest wu shot todeafo id a meet fight” Celester manied it 16 wben hia girlfriend became pregnant He quit the nog and landed a “deadend job” making belt buckles A year later he divorced hii wife and got caught up again with the Dukes “One day I was at a bather shop and I saw two " membera of my gang fighting outline' “I went to bnak it up out when the police arrived they attested me along with the otherlDukes” court foe judge let one gang member go free but sentenced Celester to six months in jail for failing to pay child support By the time he had completed his sentence Celester was bitter and cynical “1 hated the he says “I wu convinced it wu racist and it would never give someone like me a chance" But then things turned his way A community youth worker who had infiltrated the gang and was ‘ several other Dukes promised he could get Billy a good job if he was willing to work Celester took him up on it and soon wu nuking "damn good money" a sandblaster at anaval shipyard And then he uys former Massachusetts State Sen Royal Bolling Sr who already had helped other recalcitiant youths turn their lives around took Celester under hia wing “I thought Billy had great promise and just needed some guidance” explains Bolling “As a gang member he had demonstrated his flair for leadership and organizing He just needed to channel that talent in a more constructive way” “Senator Bolling became a father-figur- e and mentor” uys Celester ?He made me believe that I could mate something of myself but that it wu completely up to me And ne convinced me not to hate— mat au hate would do wu eat me up” In 1966 Bolling tried topexsuade Celester to take die Boston police exam "Inere were only about 35 blade officers in the entire city and all the Mack community leaden were pressing to change this” uys Bolling “I thought Billy wu a very good candidate to become a police officer” Even though Bolling assured Celester that the fact he once had been convicted of a misdemeanor didn’t b u it would be a ftuideu endeavor 1 didn’t think thgr'd ever want somebody like me on the police forcer he recalls “But Senator Bolling told me I wu defeating myself before I even gave myself a chance So I tots the test more a lark than anything" Celester passed the exam lb his surprise he wu accreted into the Boston Police Academy In August 1968 he joined the police force a patrolman wu assigned to preserve the peace at the demonstrations” he says "A lot of blacks in the community called me ‘Unde Tbm’ and accused me of befog a traitor That hurt because I believed in what they were demonstrating about "I considered quitting I talked to Royal Bolling and he said ‘Billy I know you’re in a tough situation and I know you have strong convictions But if everybody who feels like you quits then we’ll never be able to change things’ I decided to stick it out' u lamonviiicedtliatiiiost kids can be tamed around with i Etetof tbemareaTingoatfirlie)' proper guidance : "Right sway” he says “I met with all the community leaden and let them know they had a uy in the way then neighborhood wu policed I told them that the police departmentwu here to serve them not to occupy them” Celestre reinstituted neighborhood block watches assigned officers to walk regular beats sod met daily with community activists He visited schools and churches and he personally cruised the streets at night Earlier in his career he’d played a prominent rale in petting die police force more nicfadly integrated Ibday m a tune of bare-boobudgets ne hu managed to increase the number of community-servic- e officers es tt l 0 As a result community distrust snd apathy fsded "Billy helped lis realize that if we just point our fingers at foe police we’ll never solve anything” says FC Saunders a businessman and community activist "We’d just be part of the problem instead of part of the solution” Celester’s foremost challenge has been to curb gang La aaIaa U La aaaa are depends on how they’re dealt with" His methods include holding rip sessions wifogang members and establishing a youth-assista-nt amt for first offenders and a youm-ment- or program cases who will "Sure there are a few hard-co-re never be readied” he says "But I’m convinced that most of these kids can be turned around with tire proper guidance Most of them are crying out for help and don’t even realize it When you show a kid you care and give him guidance he’d come into his own" Drauty Superintendent William Celester is living IB proof Go (B 0 to® tiQgSt itoittemt' IfrlTWfrrti 'DfiVDBD !fri u hts :9 degree inlaw enforcement and a master’s degree criminal justice In 1971 he wu promoted to detective Six yean later he wu appointed Boston Penal Commissioner As the administrative head at Deer Island— the sameconeclional facility in which he once had been incarcerated —he instituted an acclaimed prison-refor- m program Celester rose stredlly in the police department and in early 1983 wu named commander or Area B 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