When the MA ACLU chapter submitted a request for records that should be available from any taxpayer-funded agency, it received a very illuminating response. From the Washington Post:
As it turns out, a number of SWAT teams in the Bay State are operated by what are called law enforcement councils, or LECs. These LECs are funded by several police agencies in a given geographic area and overseen by an executive board, which is usually made up of police chiefs from member police departments.
Some of these LECs have also apparently incorporated as 501(c)(3) organizations. And it’s here that we run into problems. According to the ACLU, the LECs are claiming that the 501(c)(3) status means that they’re private corporations, not government agencies. And therefore, they say they’re immune from open records requests. Let’s be clear. These agencies oversee police activities. They employ cops who carry guns, wear badges, collect paychecks provided by taxpayers and have the power to detain, arrest, injure and kill. They operate SWAT teams, which conduct raids on private residences. And yet they say that because they’ve incorporated, they’re immune to Massachusetts open records laws. The state’s residents aren’t permitted to know how often the SWAT teams are used, what they’re used for, what sort of training they get or who they’re primarily used against.
Source Article from http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/169089-2015-01-04-swat-teams-in-mass-are-private-companies-so-wont-share.htm?EdNo=001&From=RSS
SWAT Teams in Mass. Are "Private Companies" So Won't Share Records
No comments:
Post a Comment