Equipment and response to demonstrations

To Whom It May Concern:

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

a) A comprehensive inventory of all Brookline Police Department (BPD) equipment and resources that could reasonably fall under the definition of "militarized", including but not limited to armored vehicles, assault rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles, flashbang grenades and grenade launchers, Special Response Team (SRT) resources including vehicles, and other weapons of war.

b) A comprehensive inventory of all BPD equipment and resources used for riot and crowd control, including but not limited to rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper balls, pepper spray, bean bag rounds, and crowd control shields.

c) A breakdown of the methods, dates, and costs of acquisition for the equipment listed in (a) and (b) above

d) A complete breakdown of any formal and informal training materials and guidance on the use of military style tactics and weapons or riot and crowd control equipment, particularly in the context of monitoring public demonstrations, protests, and rallies; and other internal communications or guidance governing the use of rubber or plastic bullets, pepper balls, pepper spray, bean bag rounds, and tear gas.

e) Any and all after-action reports, executive summaries, or written communications which detail the deployment of rubber bullets, tear gas, and other crowd-control equipment while monitoring public demonstrations from May 25 to present, including deployments in mutual aid; any and all reports or other communications that detail the use of the Brookline Police Bike Unit while monitoring public demonstrations from May 25 to present, including deployments in mutual aid; and any and all records on disciplinary actions taken or presently contemplated against officers for breaches of department protocol and guidance in deployment of the same equipment and tactics in connection with said public demonstrations.

f) Information on deployments in mutual aid from May 25 to present, including the information about the request for mutual assistance required by MGL ch 40 sec 4J (d) (2) (i) through (v), the identity of the requesting officer responsible for assignment and deployment of the BPD unit as provided by MGL ch 40 sec 4J (d) (3) (e), and the documented costs incurred as required by MGL ch 40 sec 4J (f)(2).

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,

C. Scott Ananian