Acting Mayor Kim Janey says city will release records of child assault investigation involving former police union president

Acting Mayor Kim Janey said Monday the city will release files from a 1995 Boston police internal investigation involving a former patrolman and union president, who was arrested last year for allegedly sexually assaulting six children.

The announcement came as Janey faced pressure to make the documents public in the wake of a Boston Globe investigation that revealed the investigation concluded Patrick M. Rose Sr. likely molested a 12-year-old child nearly three decades ago.

Rose, who went on to serve another 21 years on the force and became president of the police union, was arrested last year in connection to five other alleged cases of sexual abuse involving children.

The Globe has sought the files since October, but the department had refused to release them. The state’s supervisor of public records said officials failed to meet the legal requirements to retain the records. Former Mayor Marty Walsh’s administration maintained the records could not be redacted in a way to protect the identities of the victims, as is required by state law.

On Monday, Janey mandated the city’s Law Department review Rose’s internal records and make the redactions to protect the victims’ identities, the Globe reports.

“It is baffling that officer Rose was allowed to remain on the force for over two decades and ultimately led the patrolmen’s union,” Janey said. “I was deeply disturbed to learn that there was no effort to prevent Rose from coming into contact with other minors after such serious charges were found to be credible by BPD’s own internal affairs probe of the original allegations in 1995.”

At a press conference Tuesday, Janey said the documents will be released “by the end of this week.”

Janey also announced that the newly created Office of Police Accountability and Transparency will conduct an independent investigation into the police department’s internal affairs system “that allowed a police officer to remain on the job while preying upon children.”

“As mayor, the likes of Patrick Rose will not be protected on my watch — and those who are complicit in abuses of power will be held to account,” she said.

Janey faced mounting calls from state and local officials to release the documents, including from fellow candidates in the mayoral race.

She said Monday that the public’s trust in the department would be damaged by withholding the files, according to the Globe.

“Transparency and accountability are foundational values when it comes to fostering public trust,” she said, “and this is especially true for law enforcement.”

Want to leave a comment?

Create an Account Or sign in to your account

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