It has been nearly a year since the police department in Springfield, Massachusetts was put under a federal consent decree and ordered to make reforms. City Councilors held a special meeting Tuesday night for a progress report.
Over the course of the last 11 months, the Springfield Police Department has met or exceeded every benchmark called for in the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, said Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood.
“We’re all onboard with this,” Clapprood said. “We have been ahead of every deadline, we have not missed a deadline, and the policies they’ve called for they have gotten on time.”
There is a new use-of-force policy in place that includes rules for officers engaging in foot pursuits and car chases. A panel of supervisors has been created to review each use-of-force incident. A field training program for patrol officers is in the works. Also, still to come are new policies and procedures for the Internal Investigations Unit.
“I would say the heavy lift is obviously training,” Clapprood said.
Clapprood said representatives from the police department and the city law department continue to meet weekly with DOJ attorneys to discuss progress and next steps. A firm that the city is paying to monitor the compliance with the consent decree is scheduled to make a progress report to a federal judge on April 12th.
A four-person unit in the police department is responsible for implementing the reforms called for in the 69-page settlement. Capt. Brian Beliveau, who is in charge of the unit, told Councilors at Tuesday night’s hearing the use of new record-keeping software has helped develop a “clear and concise direction” for the police department.
“We are moving the needle forward to the future of policing and I think we will be innovators and leaders throughout the state,” Beliveau said.
Springfield and the DOJ negotiated the terms of the consent decree after a federal investigation found that members of the former narcotics unit routinely violated peoples’ civil rights by using excessive force including punches to the face. The investigators found that the incidents were not being documented properly.
The narcotics division was disbanded by Clapprood and replaced with the Firearms Investigation Unit. She said there has not been a single excessive force complaint made about the unit.
“They have been receiving a lot more training, a lot of law classes,” Clapprood said. “ They have seized over 48 guns this year alone. They’ve been doing a tremendous job with no complaints, so I am very proud of them.”
The Board of Police Commissioners, which came into existence a year ago, has struggled to find its footing, acknowledged Norman Roldan, the board chairman.
“It’s hard, right? it’s not easy. I think it’s workable, it’s getting done,” Roldan said. “The big hurdle was last year I believe, as you all hit all the bumps. This year we’re streamlining a lot of stuff and our meeting, and we’re making more headway on decisions that we’re making. Better organized to make decisions.”
Despite having no budget and no support staff, Roldan said the five-member volunteer civilian board still carried out its work to hold hearings on police officers accused of misconduct and decide what, if any, discipline is warranted.
According to a written report Roldan presented at the hearing, the board has so far considered seven cases. These resulted in one officer being terminated from the force, a 3-day suspension in another instance, two officers being reinstated following lengthy suspensions, and three exonerations.
Roldan said the board is working with the DOJ to write a manual of its policies and procedures and meeting rules of order.
“I’d like to see what other cities do and learn from the mistakes they’ve been through and make better decisions as a board,” Roldan told Councilors.
City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said he will set up a meeting with Mayor Domenic Sarno so Roldan can present the board’s staffing and budget needs.
“You have my full support,” Click-Bruce said to Roldan. “We want to make sure our citizens are safe. Everyone is doing a great job and we just need to work together to make Springfield better.
The police commission came into existence after the City Council successfully sued Sarno to force him to appoint the five members.
