The police commissioner in Springfield, Massachusetts said he will review how police misconduct complaints are handled in the wake of recent controversy.
Police Commissioner John Barbieri said he will ask independent experts to review the practices and procedures of the internal investigations unit.
His announcement comes as several city councilors, including Council President Mike Fenton, are moving to strip the commissioner of his authority to discipline police officers.
" These most recent events continue to highlight the failure of the current system we have," Fenton said in a recent interview.
Barbieri was sharply criticized for not firing a detective who threatened to kill and plant drug evidence on two teenagers.
A federal judge, citing Springfield Police internal affairs records, said there appeared to be a pattern of routinely dismissing civilian complaints against police officers.
