THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT is currently facing a paradox. On the one hand, many in the police department view the agency as a national model for future policing. On the other hand, many in the community believe the department is in need of reform because of outdated policing strategies that lack accountability and transparency like […]
Boston Police Department
Posted inCriminal Justice
Why did Walsh look to cut short police commissioner probe?
WHY DID MARTY WALSH, who was pilloried for the hasty appointment of Police Commissioner Dennis White with no vetting or even an interview when it was revealed that White was the subject of a domestic abuse allegation two decades ago, then look to short-circuit the investigation he ordered as a result? That is among the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Janey says White must go, decries ‘blue wall of silence’
ACTING MAYOR KIM JANEY released a devastating report Friday on Police Commissioner Dennis White, who was put on leave just two days after his appointment in early February amid reports of an earlier domestic violence allegation. The investigation not only reveals serious allegations of physical and mental abuse against White but also paints a picture […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Convicted murderer Raymond Gaines freed after 46 years amid new evidence
NEARLY 46 YEARS after Raymond Gaines was sent to prison for murder, a Suffolk Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered his release after new evidence raised questions about his guilt, and about potential misconduct by the Boston police who investigated the case. “I’m ecstatic,” Gaines said as he walked out of lockup to the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
136 police officers on Suffolk County Brady list
SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Rachael Rollins released a prosecutorial watch list Friday night with the names of 136 law enforcement officials who have been indicted or charged on federal offenses or been accused of or engaged in misconduct. The Law Enforcement Automatic Discovery database is more commonly known as a “Brady List” after a 1963 Supreme Court decision requiring prosecutors to turn over any information that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Boston City Council bans use of facial recognition tech
THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL voted unanimously on Wednesday to prohibit the police department and other city agencies from using facial recognition technology or information derived from face surveillance systems. The ordinance also prohibits law enforcement and city employees from obtaining facial surveillance by asking for it through a third party. Boston now joins five other Massachusetts […]
Posted inThe Download
SJC rules Boston police hair test unreliable
THE STATE’S HIGHEST COURT says a drug test is scientifically unreliable. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Wednesday that the department was wrong in refusing to hire Michael Gannon, a white police cadet who applied to be part of the force in 2010, because of the failed hair follicle drug test. In the ruling, the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Trump administration sues construction firm over ICE tipoff
WHEN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION busts someone for improperly alerting the feds about an undocumented immigrant, you can bet the case is pretty strong. The US Department of Labor sued Tara Construction and its CEO over what the department claims was a retaliatory tip-off to the authorities about one of Tara’s workers who is in the […]
Posted inThe Download
Trump administration sues construction firm over ICE tipoff
When the Trump administration busts someone for improperly alerting the feds about an undocumented immigrant, you can bet the case is pretty strong. The US Department of Labor sued Tara Construction and its CEO over what the department claims was a retaliatory tip-off to the authorities about one of Tara’s workers who is in the […]
Posted inPolitics
Police body cameras are coming
It’s been a long march for the Boston Police Camera Action Team, but nearly four years after the community-based group set out to push Boston police to have officers deployed with body-worn cameras it looks like victory is in sight. In recent days, Mayor Marty Walsh and Police Commissioner Bill Evans have both signaled that […]