Enrique Zuniga, the executive director of the commission, said recurring physical and mental health testing is needed to make sure police officers are up to their job. But he said getting a testing regime in place will be a “big lift.” He is leaning toward making the periodic testing voluntary rather than mandatory.
Law enforcement
After years of scandals, have the State Police turned a corner?
Under the State House’s golden dome, there’s been little interest over the years among legislators to take stock of the theft of public funds and abuse of public trust, and whether the agency has been truly reformed.
Every police ‘bad shoot’ should be treated as a system failure
We should be streamlining the path to restoration for the victims, not saddling them with the burden of demonizing cops and proving misconduct.
State Police union claims victory over ‘tyranny’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE PRESIDENT of the State Police union took a victory lap on Monday after an arbitrator ruled in favor of seven troopers who had remained on […]
Looking at 911 mental health calls in a new way
A SPOUSE, A SISTER, or a brother suffers an acute mental health crisis. Family members call 911 as a last resort. A Boston Globe analysis reports that these calls—there are a […]
Boston police captain cleared of most charges
A BOSTON POLICE captain who was on paid leave for 2½ years for violating the rules of conduct returned to work earlier this year and then scored a major victory […]
Police escort of officer shuts down SE Expressway
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Monday, I emerged from the Central Artery tunnel in heavy, stop-and-go traffic heading south on the Southeast Expressway. It was clear something was going on […]
Police escort of officer shuts down SE Expressway
SHORTLY AFTER 2 p.m. on Monday, I emerged from the Central Artery tunnel in heavy, stop-and-go traffic heading south on the Southeast Expressway. It was clear something was going on […]
Report finds no racial profiling by Needham police
INVESTIGATORS HIRED by the town of Needham concluded “the weight of the available evidence” suggests four white police officers did not engage in racial profiling last year when they arrested […]
Ruling permits citizen recordings of police
WHILE BEACON HILL legislators haven’t moved yet to address Gov. Charlie Baker’s amendments to policing reform legislation, other efforts to improve law enforcement accountability are moving forward locally and in […]
Grappling with ‘driving while black,’ SJC offers help
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Thursday issued a ruling that will make it easier for defendants to prove they are the victim of illegal racial profiling when pulled over during […]
9 Boston police accused of embezzling $200,000
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE NINE CURRENT current and former Boston police officers were arrested and charged by federal prosecutors Wednesday for allegedly engaging in a years-long scheme to defraud the department […]
Police aren’t needed in schools
IN THE AFTERMATH of George Floyd’s killing, Minneapolis has canceled its contract with city police to patrol its schools. Portland and Denver have acted similarly. As we engage in conversations […]
State Police chief retiring
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE After exactly two years leading the 2,100-member Massachusetts State Police force during a time of scandal and turmoil, Col. Kerry Gilpin will retire as superintendent at […]
Pepper-sprayed man accuses Northampton of racial bias
For most police officers, pepper spray is standard equipment, a tool lauded in the law enforcement world as an alternative to lethal force. But a case in Northampton is raising […]
Pepper-sprayed man accuses Northampton of racial bias
FOR MOST POLICE OFFICERS, pepper spray is standard equipment, a tool lauded in the law enforcement world as an alternative to lethal force. But a case in Northampton is raising […]
Ex-trooper reprimanded for CORI violations
MICHAEL SZYMANSKI, who was reprimanded this month by the state Board of Bar Overseers for improperly accessing criminal records when he was a state trooper, said many of his colleagues […]
In Northampton, it’s tough to be a police officer
ON A RECENT CALL for police assistance, Northampton Police Officer Adam Van Buskirk said a young boy saw him walking towards the building, shouted “fuck you,” and ran away. “When […]
Who’s guarding the guards?
Concern over the behavior of those who are charged with enforcing behavior norms on others has probably been around as long as humans have set up such systems. Capturing that […]
How soon is too soon?
Basically, anyone in first grade or older has a pretty firm recollection of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the four-day hunt for the killer-terrorists that held the Greater Boston […]
State tracks pot plants with helicopters
MASSACHUSETTS DECRIMINALIZED MARIJUANA in 2008, legalized medical marijuana in 2012, and is about to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana, but that hasn’t stopped the State Police and the National Guard […]
Wellesley police chief in spotlight
Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham, who is serving as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, apologized on Monday at the organization’s annual conference for “the role that […]
Putting body cameras to the test
There is a certain irony to the drama over body-worn cameras now playing out in court in Boston. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins vowed to issue a decision by […]
Not very candid camera talk from police union
If the topic weren’t so serious, the situation would be laughable. In the wake of rising national concern over police conduct, in particular in dealings in the black community, law […]
