Boston Police Department agrees to improve access to public records in settlement with Lawyers for Civil Rights

Congratulations and thank you to Lawyers for Civil Rights, who negotiated a settlement with the Boston Police Department in which the department has agreed to resolve its backlog of public records requests within six months and improve their system for providing records. The Boston Police Department typically resists providing public records by incorrectly claiming that records are exempt from the public records law and by routine lengthy delays. In the past, our office has had to sue the department to force them to produce information, but no one should have to resort to a lawsuit in order to receive public records. We’re hopeful to see what changes the next six months bring in the Boston Police Department. Access to public records is an important tool for police accountability and is vital to a healthy democracy.

Read more about this settlement on the Boston Globe: Boston police agree to eliminate public records backlog within 6 months, settling lawsuit