BPD Commissioner William Gross has had a bad few days. Last week, ACLU Massachusetts sued the city of Boston for using “a system—nicknamed the ‘gang packet’—which awards points for choice of clothes and social media selfies, and [is] used to designate ‘gang affiliation’ without any accompanying allegations of criminal activity,” according a Guardian article […]
SEX, CONSENT AND CUSTODY
Is there a loophole in Mass law that helps cops who rape perps? Earlier this month, BuzzFeed published an explosive article about a New York City teenager accusing two police officers of raping her while she was in custody. The entire story is harrowing. But one aspect seems especially pertinent — as it turns out, there are legal loopholes in […]
SMALL TOWN SWAT TEAM
A special investigation into the ‘militarization of Mayberry’ in Mass For a police department of only 40 officers, the April 23, 2015, raid by Ludlow Special Response Team had to be an all-hands-on-deck affair. At shortly past five o’clock in the morning, a team of 12 Ludlow officers — amounting to more than a quarter of the town’s […]