Sustained findings since 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

Under the Massachusetts Public Records Act § 66-10 et seq., I am requesting copies of records related to cases of sustained findings of police misconduct at the Internal Affairs Unit of the Brockton Police, between 2017 and 2022. This includes, but is not limited to, documents, reports, multimedia, body-worn camera footage, arrest filings, and so on. It also includes all documents, notes, correspondence and memoranda evidencing sustained findings reports and investigations, and all communication and correspondence in whatever tangible medium between the officials, the victims and the overseeing agency.

I am requesting digital copies of all responsive documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request.

Here, misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

Excessive (unreasonable) force – beatings, manhandling of people in handcuffs, improper use of Tasers, injuries inflicted by police dogs, improper use of deadly force, and other police brutality or disregard for the safety of suspects. It also includes, but is not limited to: physical and verbal abuse, restraints happening unreasonably, coerced or forced confessions, and sexual abuse and assault.

False arrests – pulling over, detention, questioning and searches conducted without any probable cause whatsoever, including cases of planted evidence, racial profiling and trumped-up charges of resisting arrest.

Misconduct investigations do not fall under records that are exempted by the law: “personnel and medical files or information and any other materials or data relating to a specifically named individual, the disclosure of which may constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; provided, however, that this subclause shall not apply to records related to a law enforcement misconduct investigation”.

The Massachusetts Public Records Act requires a response to this request within 10 days. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer than this amount of time, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 415-769-8210 or ananyatiwarijournalism@gmail.com.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Ananya Tiwari