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 […]
FIRE SALE PT. 1 1/2
More about how police solicitation of guns and other combat gear is done solely by departments that weigh options and decide on agreements, without any scrutiny from other agencies.
THIN BLUE LINEAGE
What’s up with all those flags lining the roads outside of Boston? Once only an occasional sighting, these flags, stickers, and other apparel have become increasingly common not just south of Boston, but all across the Commonwealth.
ATTACK OF THE PEACE POLICE
Despite cries from advocates and experts, heavily armed SWAT teams are increasingly deployed to nonviolent protests in Mass
CHILDREN AND SWAT RAIDS
The unintended consequences of militarized police in Massachusetts homes At 5 a.m. on a hot August night in 2015, a van carrying the Worcester SWAT team pulled up outside a triple-decker on Hillside Street. The officers were wearing body armor, ballistic helmets and camouflage clothing. They came bearing shotguns, handguns and at least one .45-caliber […]