| There are approximately 172,000 arrests made
in Massachusetts each year. Probably all of them involve some degree
of excessive force or police brutality. However, only a handful of
civil suits have been awarded damages by the Massachusetts Judicial System.
Federal courts have awarded damages somewhat more
frequently. Federal courts, however, usually require that a civil
rights violation be present.
I am a 26 year old criminal justice student. I had been attending school in Greenfield Massachusetts. I was in class with many local officers. At first, I thought that they were good guys. Then, they started to bully me. They were asking me who I was dating (another local officer.) I told them I had broken up with him because he had threatened me one too many times. All of a sudden, they started to be very vile to me, asking me if it was "worth it?" Then they told me I should "mind my own business." Then a few says later, they asked me "did you learn your lesson yet?" I told them I thought they were targeting me for some reason, like I was a traitor. I told them I was doing my best and that I was going to school to understand these things. I called my ex and told him my story. He laughed and told me that I had finally "shot my mouth off around the wrong people." I was confused by this. These people are terribly brutal, terribly judgmental. I tried to explain to them that I don't know all these rules yet, and I am trying to learn. But I also told them I felt they were asking me to go along with wrong things, that I did not target the people I didn't like. They have so far accused me of being a lesbian, a bad girl, and a snob. Then they threatened to call my base (I am military) and put a complaint in about me. I told them to go ahead and try, but that my Base knew I had had problems with the ex, and that they would know it was retaliation. After this, I got two threatening phone calls. Whenever I have talked to them, they say things like "get it where you can grab it." This is slang for getting sex from people who are impressed with the badge, or for stealing booze (which is often done when cars are stopped and alcohol is seized...they take it back to the station and give it out at the end of the night.) It is very weird. I told them not to "drag me down" which is cop/military speak for corrupting me to be just like them. Anyhow, I called a local women's abuse hotline, and they said they have had many problems with the same police officers abusing their wives. They said they were going to the District Attorney with their information. however, nothing has happened as yet, because the Chief in Greenfield has been there for a very long time. I would like to know if anyone else has had this problem. I am a very respectable middle class university professor. I don't have strange hair. I dress conventionally. I drive a late model (1998) Plymouth Voyageur. I teach at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government - and hold an appointment at the Yale Divinity School. Today (6/22), while driving down from Maine with my 20 year old daughter, I stopped at a rest stop on the Mass Pike. Because there were few parking spaces, I pulled up in front of the rest stop building so I could pick up my daughter when she came out. My motor was running. I was not parking in any commonly understood sense of the term. A Mass State trooper came up to me (radiating hostility) and said, "I just gave the car in front of you a ticket for parking in a fire zone. Why shouldn't I give you one." I said (looking at the "no parking" sign), "I'm not parking. I'm just waiting to pick up my daughter." He demanded my license and registration, which I proffered. In the meantime, he set to work on the car in front of me -- another late model care driven by a middle-class type white person, who happened to have a Hispanic-appearing passenger. The passenger was ordered out of the car, made to "spread it," and was patted down. In the meantime, I was kept waiting in the blazing sun for half an hour, while the cop took his time about checking me for outstanding warrants (of which, of course, there were none). He strutted back, issuing me a warning. His behavior was so threatening that I was afraid to ask for his ID or his card (I was afraid he might do violence upon me and my daughter). He did not provide this info (as legally required) on the warning he issued. He just left his name in an illegible scrawl. Is there anything that common citizens can do to deal incidents of this kind? No violence was done, but I had a strong feeling that, if this officer had been challenged in *any* way, he was capable of almost anything. (In fact, in describing the situation to my wife, who is a psychiatrist, she said that the officer was very likely under the influence of narcotics). A very scary situation. . . fraught with implicit violence. What to do?!! Dear Sirs and Madams: I recently found out that a member of my family, who has no criminal record, is well educated in a reputable graduate school, was brutally beat up by the police in Boston. He was wrong by the fact that after he had too much to drink and was stopped by the police, he mouthed off to the officer who stopped him. However, the officer and his partner brutally beat him up, bruised him all over and bloodied his face and then took him to Jail. A witness did see this. The officer refused to show up to the arraignment (obviously because he knew that he was wrong)and charges were dropped. My relative did not try to press charges because his court appointed attorney said that it would be difficult to fight the police. I think that the police need to be stopped. What are my relative's rights and options? Can you offer us any suggestions? Thanks in advance for your reply!!! Randall
Email dated June 1999: In may 1995 I was in a high speed chase with the police in Hopkington MA . It lead into 4 separate towns including Southborough, Framingham, and Ashland. It came to a stop when I pulled over in Ashland. I pulled over shut my car off and put my hands on the dashboard . Then 2 police officers came to my door and dragged me out of the car. They threw me on the ground and started hitting me. Three other officers came over and joined in. They assaulted me with nightsticks, fists, and their boots by kicking me. I put up no struggle and begged them to stop. After several minutes of getting beaten, they finally stopped. I was arrested and charged with a number of things including assault and battery on a police officer. These crimes of police brutality have to come to a stop. Email dated May 1999: So I'm speeding away and he of course radios ahead to the Stoughton Police Department, who then radios to the Avon Police Department who decide to ram the side of my car. Avon then mails me a ticket for ramming them and leaving (Glen F_______) Next thing you know I'm getting my head pounded into the ground by officer L___! Too bad my sister took pictures of my face. Of course they now have to bring me to the Norwood hospital because my head is caving in. Next time you do this L___, make sure you charge the person with assault to cover your own tracks. What's the difference if you lie? You already violated my civil rights when you stripped searched me at the station! Why? Beats me. Tried to get me to cry too. See you in court! I'm suing for emotional stress and humiliation. Notice I've hired the best lawyer? |