It’s become a rite of spring in Boston, as certain as Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum and the return of swan boats to the Public Garden: A press briefing on city plans for promoting public safety during the hot summer months when trouble ticks up with the temperature.
But the annual anti-crime announcement feels a bit like the mayoral warnings issued in advance of a big winter storm or blast of arctic air in January: They are both meant to show that the city is on the job and taking the issue seriously, but the details that are shared invariably have a familiar quality to them.
After all, there are only so many ways to warn people to stay off the roads during a blizzard, or to remind them to lend a hand to any neighbor in need of help during a storm. By the same token, when it comes to efforts to keep a lid on gun violence and other urban ills, Boston’s yearly announcement inevitably follows a well-worn theme.
In a city that has earned national reputation over decades for its low homicide rate and comprehensive approach to public safety and gun violence, there’s no sense in reinventing the wheel.
When Mayor Michelle Wu, Police Commissioner Michael Cox, and other city leaders gathered at a Dorchester park Tuesday morning for their annual briefing, they largely stuck to the script that has driven Boston’s public safety thinking since the 1990s: The police will be vigilant in focusing on the small number of people driving violence in Boston, while various other city departments will be doing all they can to engage young people in positive pursuits, especially those at risk of getting pulled into trouble on the streets.
It is an “all of government” effort, said Wu, highlighting everything from summer youth jobs to expanded evening programming for young people this summer that is aimed at complementing police work so that Boston is “continuing to put in place strategies, the resources, and the leadership to continue to be the safest major city in the country.”
This year, however, “all of government” doesn’t include all levels of government. | 
