Complaints against Boston police officers go unresolved for years in lengthy investigations
Multiple Boston police officers face long lists of citizen complaints, some which have lingered unresolved for years pending or amid department investigations.
A Boston Globe review of police records reveals that a dozen police officers have received 20 or more complaints in the past two decades, yet many remain unresolved as the department carries out lengthy internal investigations. In some cases, the disciplinary processes have reached dead ends after citizens became frustrated and ceased to cooperate in the cases. Others failed to reach a conclusion because officers forgot some of the incidents and details or became more difficult to reach as time passed.
“Everybody has a right to due process, and we have to cross our Ts and do it all right,’’ Boston police Commissioner William Evans told the Globe. “It’s not as easy a process as people think it is.’’
While the overall number of police complaints in Boston dropped last year to 386 from 527 in 2013, many officers still face reports of disrespectful treatment, and some have amassed more than 40, the Globe reported. The review found that officers in the homicide department or certain neighborhoods faced more complaints than others. Experts say this could play into how often citizens file complaints against an officer.
Retired Sgt. Martin Kraft, who worked for the department for over 30 years and had 40 complaints filed against him, sees complaints as part of the job.
“An academy instructor said, ‘If you’re not getting complaints, you’re not working,’’’ he told the Globe. “I did my job.’’
Read the full Globe story here.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com