This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (MGL Chapter 66, Section 10) for any responsive documents and/or communications concerning your municipality's police department and its compliance with the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission's duties under Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020 to create a "database listing complaints against police officers," as detailed below. These documents will be used to provide the public with information on officer complaints for the Bramanville Tribune.Specifically, I seek the following:
A copy of the document your police department sent to the POST Commission, likely sent between November 2021 and June of 2022, providing the information requested by the POST Commission for its "database listing complaints against police officers" planned for May of 2022.
This "database" was originally supposed to launch in May of last year, per this article: https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/massachusetts-police-complaint-database-launching-coming-weeks/QFUNYWOUCNAYFATWRU7TOVHFJY/
The document is likely in either a Microsoft Excel or PDF document. If possible, I would prefer the submittal document in Excel.
Copies of any relevant responsive communications between a) your police department and/or your town officials and b) the POST Commission in regard to the database planned for May of 2022 as detailed above and/or compliance with the reporting for said database between the dates of July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022, broadly construed.
This should include, but not be limited to, any written communications or responsive documents on clarifications your police department or responsible parties within your municipality had with POST on how to comply, on questions regarding the information shared, on how the information would be disseminated, any written protests to POST regarding compliance activities, etc.
Copies of any relevant responsive communications within or between a) your police department and b) your municipal administration in regard to this database and/or compliance with this mandate between the dates of July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022, broadly construed.
"Municipal administration" here is defined as those involved in the day-to-day operation of your municipality and who may have had a role or responsibility in collecting and distributing this data. This may be a human resources specialist, an assistant administrator, or any other municipal position that would have assisted your department in complying with the POST request.
Information concerning "complaints against police officers" issued in the calendar year 2022 and through March 31, 2023, preferably in the same format used for the information sent to POST between November 2021 and June of 2022 for the earlier-mentioned database.
This is not the new request as of 2023 from POST (see https://www.mass.gov/info-details/disciplinary-record-resubmission and below), but rather what the 2023 submission would have looked like under the previous format. To use POST's language, "include new sustained disciplinary records since your last submission, for both active officers and officers who have transferred out of your agency," "records for new hires and officers that have transferred to your agency since your last submission," and "records with pending discipline."
This should include information listing:
Investigations of officers even "if their disposition was 'Not Sustained,' 'Unfounded,' or 'Exonerated.'"
Officers that do not have disciplinary records or complaints against them (allowing the public to see what officers do not have complaints or records against them).
Officers who retired or resigned in good standing.
Records of incidents that resulted in a verbal reprimand.
A copy of the document your police department sent to the POST Commission as sent to the POST Commission, likely sent between December 1, 2022 and April 9, 2023, to comply with the "2023 POST Commission Disciplinary Records Resubmission" found at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/disciplinary-record-resubmission
This should be an Excel spreadsheet in the format requested by the POST Commission.
The purpose of this is to examine the data differences between the old and new, and to compare against the 2023 POST database when it launches.
Copies of any relevant responsive communications within or between a) your police department and b) your municipal administration in regard to this database and/or compliance with the "2023 POST Commission Disciplinary Records Resubmission" described above.
"Municipal administration" here is again defined as those involved in the day-to-day operation of your municipality and who may have had a role or responsibility in complying with the 2023 POST request.
If this request has reached the wrong individual, I thank you in advance for forwarding this to the proper records officer.I do not believe this should carry a charge, as page 4 of the Public Records guide located at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepdf/guide.pdf states "There is no longer a separate charge for police or fire reports, or for computer printouts." Furthermore, as I will be using this information for news reporting purposes in the Bramanville Tribune, this will be used to serve the interest of the public in sharing information concerning the day-to-day operations of police departments in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Unless otherwise indicated above, records should be provided in an electronic format that is searchable and machine-readable. Furthermore, I do not believe this information is exempt from disclosure. The records requested are not "related solely to internal personnel rules and practices" of the Department (as they directly impact the public, public safety, and the enforcement of laws within your jurisdiction), do not involve details of a "highly personal nature," are not part of an "ongoing deliberative process,” have already been provided to the POST Commission in compliance with Chapter 253, and are not (with exceptions) investigative in nature. Further, If certain exemptions are invoked, please detail those exemptions as part of your response.
Request Date
2023-04-10
Agency Tracking
23-114
Acquisition Notes
This record was automatically imported from townofashland.nextrequest.com