Boston police used their fusion center to surveil my journalistic actions. It took nearly seven years for BPD to hold itself somewhat accountable, and only after they used my information in a Department of Homeland Security conference presentation. The department violated transparency laws and their own policies to hide their surveillance of me covering the […]
IMPUNITY SERVICE
The state’s police oversight commission only publicizes cops who have been punished, but there’s a back door to discovering the dirty details of departments that let problematic officers linger “The public deserves to see allegations of police misconduct in real time, because officers have tremendous powers and responsibilities in our communities.” Since 2021, the Peace […]
STILL WAITING
Tainted Drug Evidence Victims Still Waiting For Settlement Payments “We’ve got a system in place where it’s just, grab this money from mostly poor people, but don’t have mechanisms in place to really account for what’s taken.” It may be a new year, but tens of thousands of individuals wrongfully convicted on drug charges in […]
EARS FOR FEAR: THE SHOTSPOTTER WORKAROUND
Boston, Regional Police Dodge Transparency Ordinance In Bolstering Surveillance Network At a public hearing at the end of November, Boston police and officials heard from activists and lawmakers concerned about transparency regarding surveillance technology in the city. The gunshot detection system ShotSpotter received particular criticism over accuracy and deployment, but officials defended the tech and […]
INSULT TO INJURY
Images via Donovan Johnson Arlington Police had evidence that their suspect was not involved with human trafficking. That didn’t stop them from pursuing and detaining him Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that former Arlington Police Department Officer Steven Conroy was arrested for the crimes of “strangulation” and “domestic assault and battery”; […]
