Sustained findings since 2017
| Submitted | Nov. 14, 2022 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Ananya Tiwari
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
From: Brockton Police Department
I have attached a copy of our response to your public records request.
--
Sgt. Kenneth Lofstrom
Brockton P.D.
Internal Affairs
(508) 897-5356
From:
Dear Requestor:
Please see the attached correspondence in response to your public records
request. Thank you.
*Very truly,*
*Anthony J. Donegan, Jr.*
*Assistant City Solicitor*
*City of Brockton Law Department*
*45 School Street, 1st Floor*
*Brockton, MA 02301*
*Tel. (508) 580-7110*
*He/Him/His*
NOTICE: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are
addressed. If you have received this email in error, please delete the
email from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message
contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual
named. If you are not the named addressee, you should not disseminate,
distribute or copy this email. If you are not the intended recipient, you
are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in
reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.
*Click here to see:*
Where Better Begins <https://vimeo.com/citybrockton/wherebetterbegins>
From:
Dear Supervisor,
The attached Petitions are submitted in relation to the above referenced
Petition. Copies of this e-mail and attachments are being sent to the
Requestor.
Thank you.
*Very truly,*
*Anthony J. Donegan, Jr.*
*Assistant City Solicitor*
*City of Brockton Law Department*
*45 School Street, 1st Floor*
*Brockton, MA 02301*
*Tel. (508) 580-7110*
*He/Him/His*
NOTICE: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are
addressed. If you have received this email in error, please delete the
email from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message
contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual
named. If you are not the named addressee, you should not disseminate,
distribute or copy this email. If you are not the intended recipient, you
are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in
reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.
*Click here to see:*
Where Better Begins <https://vimeo.com/citybrockton/wherebetterbegins>
From: Brockton Police Department
Dear Records Custodian,
Please be aware, this office has received your petition relating to your entity's response to a request for public records. Attached are further details concerning this petition. If you have any questions or wish to provide further information relating to this matter, please contact the Public Records Division at pre@sec.state.ma.us<mailto:pre@sec.state.ma.us> or 617-727-2832.
Given that the Supervisor of Records must issue a determination within 5 business days of receipt of the petition, please provide any additional information to this office as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Jeff Gottfredsen
Staff Attorney
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
Public Records Division
One Ashburton Place, Room 1719
Boston, MA 02108
617-727-2832 | Jeffrey.Gottfredsen@sec.state.ma.us
From: Dilcia Mercedes
Thank you for your response.
I have a few questions.
Your agency states: "On average the City estimates average time of 5 minutes per document for attorneys and other employees to review, redact and print 5,000 documents. The estimated time required for this task will exceed 417 hours."
We are not requesting any printed documents. In fact, we are specifically asking for electronic documents. What is the estimate for the review of said documents, without the printing?
We are interested in narrowing the scope of the request in order to receive documents. For us to do this, we need a case index of the cases that are generating the 5,000+ files found to fit the category of our request. Can you send us an eta for when we can get this case index?
From:
To Ananya Tiwari, via muckrock.com:
Please see the City of Brockton Records officer 's correspondence to you,
dated 11/30/2022. Thank you.
*Very truly,*
*Anthony J. Donegan, Jr.*
*Assistant City Solicitor*
*City of Brockton Law Department*
*45 School Street, 1st Floor*
*Brockton, MA 02301*
*Tel. (508) 580-7110*
*He/Him/His*
NOTICE: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are
addressed. If you have received this email in error, please delete the
email from your system and notify the sender immediately. This message
contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual
named. If you are not the named addressee, you should not disseminate,
distribute or copy this email. If you are not the intended recipient, you
are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in
reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.
*Click here to see:*
Where Better Begins <https://vimeo.com/citybrockton/wherebetterbegins>
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