Massachusetts Police Database Provides Public Access to Officers’ Disciplinary Records
In a significant development, Massachusetts’ state police licensing board has released a comprehensive database that reveals the disciplinary records of thousands of law enforcement officers across the state. This release comes as part of a police reform law enacted in 2020, which mandated the creation of such a database to increase transparency and provide the public with easy access to information about their local police officers.
The newly published database, available in PDF and spreadsheet formats, contains 3,413 disciplinary records from 273 law enforcement agencies under the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission’s jurisdiction. Notably, the Boston Police Department, Springfield Police Department, and Massachusetts State Police have the highest number of disciplinary records in the database.
While this release represents a major milestone, it should be noted that some law enforcement agencies confirmed to regulators that they have no historical sustained disciplinary records reportable to the POST Commission. As a result, if we exclude Boston, Springfield, and the State Police from the database, each agency averages about eight disciplinary records per department.
Springfield Police Department, the third-largest in the state, has taken measures to enhance public trust and has witnessed a reduction in complaints as a result. Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood emphasized their commitment to holding officers accountable for their actions, irrespective of whether a complaint arises from an on-duty or off-duty incident. Superintendent Clapprood also highlighted the challenge of attracting quality candidates to the police force, which has sometimes resulted in disciplinary actions against officers early in their careers for off-duty behavior. Addressing this issue requires a shift in perception to make policing a highly sought-after profession.
The release of this database marks the culmination of two years of dedicated work, and it represents the first draft. Moving forward, the POST Commission intends to update the database monthly and explore the possibility of adding a business intelligence tool to enhance user-friendliness.
The creation of this database is a crucial step toward increasing accountability and transparency within law enforcement agencies across Massachusetts. By providing the public with easy access to officers’ disciplinary records, it empowers individuals to make informed judgments and holds law enforcement accountable for their actions. This development showcases the state’s commitment to police reform and ensures that Massachusetts residents can have a deeper understanding of their hometown police officers’ backgrounds.
