Massachusetts FOI Videos
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Secret Courts in Massachusetts
Anastasia Lennon, a reporter for the New Bedford Light, discusses her attempts to access a criminal court proceeding that’s closed to the public. Secret “show cause” hearings occur throughout the state typically with no notice to the public. Massachusetts is the only state in the country where these types of hearings occur.
Transparency and the Boston Police Department: Making Misconduct Records Publicly Accessible
Evan Allen, a reporter at The Boston Globe, discusses a new database she and her colleagues created to help citizens search misconduct records within the Boston Police Department.
Internal Affairs Reports and Accountability Within the Worcester Police Department
Brad Petrishen of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette describes his newspaper’s ongoing efforts to obtain Internal Affairs Reports and other law enforcement records from the city’s police department.
Law Enforcement Transparency, Boston Police and the Massachusetts Public Records Law | Jessie Rossman at the ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts describes a recent lawsuit she and her colleagues filed against the Boston Police Department for records about use of force incidents and surveillance of citizens. According to ACLU of Massachusetts v. City of Boston, officials have regularly responded to the requests with months of silence and delay. All nine requests are well past-due — including four that have been pending for seven months or more.