Wednesday
Dec032014
How Police Unions and Arbitrators Keep Abusive Cops on the Street
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 Wednesday, December 3, 2014 
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- In Sandra Birchmore case, questions emerge about why outside investigators weren’t brought in from the start
- In our public records case, Supreme Judicial Court rules that investigations of police misconduct cannot be withheld on privacy grounds
- Congratulations, United States District Judge Myong Joun!
- Rising star Danielle Ponder went to law school in Boston. But she’s given up the courtroom for the concert stage.
- Years of alleged abuses by Fall River cop reveal limits of internal police investigations
- Our friend and colleague Sarah Wunsch has passed away
- Boston Police Department agrees to improve access to public records in settlement with Lawyers for Civil Rights
- Howard Friedman listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for Civil Rights Law
- Our friend and colleague Myong Joun was confirmed as a Massachusetts federal judge
- After a wrongful conviction and 36 years in prison, our client Fred Weichel is awarded $33 million
- Our client and friend Lawyer Johnson has passed away
- Michelle Wu was asked about Patrick Rose’s internal affairs file. Her answer raises more questions.
- Howard is recognized for his work in Civil Rights Law
- Janey Promises Transparency, But Withholds Records Of Boston Police Officers Accused Of Misconduct
- New evidence in death of young man in back of Massachusetts transport van
- 4 key takeaways from Hearst CT's investigation into the secret world of police officer misconduct
- City releases scathing review of police commissioner; Dennis White files injunction to stop his removal
- We sued Barnstable Police for killing a man in need of medical care by restraining him facedown and applying pressure as he struggled to breathe
- Fixing the Boston police department’s secretive internal affairs system
- Cops protected by Qualified Immunity after they knowingly violated their training and the First Amendment
- Police have long had a haphazard, lax response to domestic violence within the ranks
- Providence Sergeant Hanley found guilty of assault. Is the ‘Blue Wall of Silence’ broken?
- MCLE program: “1st Look" at the Massachusetts Police Reform Legislation: New standards, commissions, and criminal offenses
- Walsh administration refuses to release internal affairs files of embattled police commissioner
- ‘Professional courtesy’ snares trooper in internal affairs probe
- Howard is quoted in two articles about police officers and domestic violence
- Forced addiction treatment could be death sentence during COVID-19
- With hope for the future, we recommit to defending civil rights
- Howard interviewed by Not Fake News
- For Boston police officers accused of crimes, legal troubles tend to just melt away
- Homicide charges against police officers are rare
- Howard Friedman selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer
- Reading Police Officer Indicted On Manslaughter Charge For 2018 Fatal Shooting
- Boston Police officers charged with $200k overtime fraud scheme appeared before a judge on Wednesday
- Rollins: Suffolk County Sheriff Never Alerted DA Of Inmate’s Death, Despite Protocols
- Howard Friedman is the 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Civil Rights Law in Boston
- Lawyers say changes to controversial qualified immunity doctrine would move Mass. into uncharted legal waters
- 7Investigates: Records show Boston police investigations into civilian complaints take years to complete
- ‘One of the worst police departments in the country’: Reign of brutality brings a reckoning in Springfield
- "If you want an emergency, call the police."
- Within the Boston Police Department, complaints against officers are rarely confirmed or result in punishment
- National Police Accountability Project Condemns President Trump’s Racist Comments
- Boston’s police review board was primed to push for reforms. Years later, its impact is negligible
- Massachusetts should make it easier to access police records
- Weak public records law still allows police and other government agencies to withhold information
- Letter to Congress Supporting End of Qualified Immunity
- Buffalo police pushed an old man — but said he tripped. Because police lie.
- Police Misconduct Records Are Secret. Protests May Finally Change That.
- Black Lives Matter. Take Action to Hold Police Accountable.
- Powerful Sheriffs Rarely Held To Account As Families Fight For The Truth
- Inside One Jail's Health Care Problems And ‘Culture Of Impunity’
- Pain And Profits: Sheriffs Hand Off Inmate Care To Private Health Companies
- When Inmates Die Of Poor Medical Care, Jails Often Keep It Secret
- Massachusetts should make police discipline records public
- How To Sue If You're Assaulted By Police Or Prison Guards; Your Civil Rights When It Comes To Police Brutality In Massachusetts
- Accused of harassment and assault, these police officers moved to new jobs with clean records
- Testimony Raises Questions About Drinking By Springfield Police
- Federal Court: Cops Accused Of Stealing Over $225,000 Have Legal Immunity
- False police reports raise questions on other Fall River criminal cases
- Howard Friedman listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Civil Rights Law
- WATCH: Connecticut State Troopers accidentally recorded themselves discussing plans to falsify a police report
- Secrets, secrets are no fun: Transparency is needed to thwart police misconduct, but Massachusetts’s public records law provides little help
- Massachusetts should follow NYC’s lead and allow free calls from jail
- Fall River pays $225,000 to settle lawsuit alleging officers fractured our client’s leg
- Civil Commitment For Addiction Treatment Led To Loved One's Suicide, Family Says
- Chicago cop alleges cover-up in police shooting
- A Tale of Two Police Responses
- In police shooting, answers few
- Long-Lost Records Surface in Wrongful Conviction Case, Detailing Lead Detective’s Fondling of Informants
- Article: ACLU criticizes Boston police commissioner’s Facebook post
- They Were Seeking Mental Health Care. Instead They Drowned in a Sheriff’s Van
- Howard will comment on “Crime + Punishment” at Newburyport Documentary Film Festival
- ‘I could crush your [expletive] skull and [expletive] get away with it.’ A deep look at the Springfield police
- Boston police officers support DA candidate who would thwart criminal justice reform and police accountability
- Activists, ACLU Push for the Right to Secretly Record Police in Massachusetts
- Watchdog Report: Lawyer calls for probe of Worcester police credibility
- Punches as police practice called into question after viral videos
- AG Maura Healey promises transparency, but critics say her record falls short
- Missed warning signs on the road to tragedy
- On video: Lowell Police detention attendant punches man in head
- We filed a civil rights case against Essex County correctional officers after our clients’ son died of overdose in transport van
- Massachusetts loophole may allow police officers to rape people while on duty and later claim it was consensual
- Howard will speak at upcoming events for law students, lawyers, police officers, and others on the topics of police misconduct, wrongful convictions, and qualified immunity
- Howard will speak to police officers and insurance executives about wrongful convictions and methods to reduce police misconduct
- We filed a civil lawsuit for our client who was falsely arrested by Lynn police officers
- Dead, beaten and abused: Millions paid in secret settlements to keep bad cops on the street and the public in danger
- Baltimore Police officer who planted drugs thinking he turned off body camera charged with tampering with evidence; others cleared
- Chicago Police Win Big When Appealing Discipline
- We sent Essex County Sheriff's Department a notice of intent to sue for negligence causing a man’s death
- 911 call: IRS agent put a gun in her mouth and sexually assaulted her
- BUSTED: Watch LA cops plant drugs in black suspect’s wallet – unaware their body cams were on
- First Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez reflects on the decision he wrote in Glik v. Cunniffe finding that people have the right to record the police performing their duties in public
- City of Lowell Pays $750,000 to Settle Our Cases Alleging Confidential Informants Planted Cocaine
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers recognizes Howard and David
- Our Client Fred Weichel, Now Free After 36 Years in Prison, Files Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit against the Commonwealth
- Howard Friedman listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Civil Rights Law
- David Milton speaks to civil rights lawyers about the right to record the police
- Fairness should have no time limit
- Baltimore prosecutor drops 34 cases after police officer caught planting drugs
- Follow the law, not the leader
- Body camera video shows police planting drugs
- Boston Police fail in second attempt to fire police officer
- Third Circuit affirms the right to record the police, quoting brief written by David Milton for the National Police Accountability Project
- Massachusetts’s highest court rules in favor of our client PETA in public records case
- Settlement Reached for Our Client Beaten by MBTA Officers
- We Sued a Westport Police Officer for Setting Up a Dangerous Unauthorized Roadblock
- The Rodney King video changed everything — and nothing
- Police union contracts hinder police accountability
- Federal court rules our clients’ cases alleging Lowell Police informants planted drugs may go to trial
- When Warriors Put On The Badge
- Behind the blue wall: Claims of bias in the State Police force
- Private eye faced 40 complaints when he was with Boston police
- A closer look at police officers who have fired their weapon on duty
- Victory for our client – federal appeals court establishes proper standards for taking a person into protective custody
- Highest court in Mass. will hear our case regarding public records
- ACLU Report—Caged In: The Devastating Harms of Solitary Confinement on Prisoners with Physical Disabilities
- Video: Our client Lawyer Johnson was interviewed on Greater Boston about his wrongful conviction
- Wrongly convicted in Massachusetts? Good luck getting compensation.
- New York Times quotes Howard in article: Mistrial for South Carolina Officer Who Shot Walter Scott
- We filed a brief supporting the right to record police officers
- Defend Civil Rights. What else can we say?
- U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® announced the “Best Law Firms” rankings for 2017; we are Tier 1 for civil rights law in the Boston area
- Operation Smoke and Mirrors: In the Chicago Police Department, If the Bosses Say It Didn’t Happen, It Didn’t Happen
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers recognizes all our firm’s lawyers
- Police escalate traffic stops, leading to disproportionate fatalities of black people
- Federal judge declares ‘black lives matter’ during hearing over Seattle police reform
- Howard is quoted in article about Gov. Baker’s proposal to make assault and battery on a police officer a felony when there is “serious bodily harm”
- Howard spoke at a seminar on law enforcement and the U.S. Constitution
- How Union Contracts Shield Police Departments from DOJ Reforms
- Federal judge allows falsely imprisoned Springfield man's lawsuit against police to advance
- We sued Taunton Police Officer Robert Kramer and Police Chief Edward Walsh after booking video reveals unprovoked attack on our client
- F.B.I. Director should praise, not fear, civilians filming the police
- New police review board recommended to Mayor Walsh
- Lawyer Johnson, wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, shares his story
- Howard Friedman to speak to criminal defense lawyers about civil cases against the police
- City’s scrutiny of police conduct questioned; Judge allows suit claiming bad behavior unpunished
- Howard Friedman speaks about bringing police misconduct cases for children and young people
- We mourn the passing of our client George Thompson
- Our client, Michael O’Brien, speaks about the problem of disciplining police officers
- Howard Friedman speaks about bringing successful police misconduct lawsuits
- Cellphone video records police officers illegally detaining and framing a police accountability activist
- Fall River settles our lawsuit concerning the right to record the police
- Howard Friedman discusses misconduct of Quincy police officer
- Leaked Documents Reveal Dothan Police Department Planted Drugs on Young Black Men For Years, District Attorney Doug Valeska Complicit
- Howard Friedman is quoted in this Boston Globe article about internal affairs complaints involving Boston police officers
- Howard Friedman speaks at MCLE Criminal Law Conference
- Our firm helps a disabled veteran with a service dog
- All our firm’s attorneys are recognized by Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Outcomes of Baggett v. Ashe, our case opposing male guards’ videotaping of female prisoners’ strip searches at the Chicopee Jail
- Judge approves settlement of class action about male guards filming strip searches of female prisoners at the Chicopee Jail
- Simon Glik says police should expect to be recorded
- 12 Videos That Show The Difference Between What Cops Said And What Actually Happened
- Howard Friedman on WBUR regarding the reinstatement of David Williams
- The police code of silence continues to protect police officers
- What is Qualified Immunity?
- 15 Most Outrageous Responses By Police After Killing Unarmed People
- Rare occurrence: 4 Illinois police officers charged with perjury
- Justice Department pushes police reform, but what will make the changes last?
- David Milton testifies in favor of reforming Massachusetts’ public records law
- Howard Friedman will speak about civil rights cases on a panel at the Federal Court
- After pressure, Boston police agree to disclose names of arrested officers
- That’s What You Get for Filming the Police
- Blue Shield: Did you know police have their own Bill of Rights?
- Howard organizes seminar with the civil rights committee of the Massachusetts FBA
- Public radio program discusses the right to record police officers
- Settlement of class action about male guards filming strip searches of female prisoners at the Chicopee Jail
- We support the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
- Video MBTA tried to hide from us shows transit police officer beating our client
- Double standard in Massachusetts: civilians’ arrests are public while officers’ arrests are private
- Trial nears for alcohol policy at Gillette Stadium
- Howard Friedman quoted in New Orleans Advocate article: At Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, no haste to probe beating incident involving high school student
- Yancey calls for civilian board to investigate police misconduct
- We filed a case against Amherst police officers who arrested our client for videotaping officers at the 2014 “Blarney Blowout”
- After our lawsuit challenging the strip search of a prison visitor, the Massachusetts Department of Correction changes its regulations
- NBC 10 investigates Foxboro’s use of protective custody at Gillette stadium
- False arrest and excessive force case against Bellingham Police settles for $55,000
- Boston Police create a double standard to protect drunk-driving officers from public accountability
- Reflections on MLK Day, police brutality, and the racist roots of police unions
- Congratulations to our former colleague Myong Joun on becoming a Judge
- Howard Friedman quoted in article about the use of excessive force by police
- Video: Howard Friedman discusses recording the police
- We filed a lawsuit against a Fall River police officer who arrested a man for videotaping the police
- How Police Unions and Arbitrators Keep Abusive Cops on the Street
- Our tax dollars at work defending Ashe and Murphy: Guest commentary by Lois Ahrens
- We are rated as Tier 1 in the 2015 Best Law Firms for civil rights law in the Boston area
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court makes it easier to seal a criminal record
- Activists and lawyers protest cases against two witnesses charged with perjury in Wilhite retrial
- Howard Friedman and David Milton are selected to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list
- Our firm files lawsuit for PETA to obtain public records about monkey labs
- FBI investigating use of police informants in Lowell, Mass.
- Judge rules prison policy is unconstitutional in our class action challenging male guards’ videotaping strip searches of female prisoners
- Boston police covered up their use of facial recognition software
- Lowell police lieutenant involved in cell death was recommended for termination but receives 90 day suspension
- Howard Friedman listed in The Best Lawyers in America©
- Internal Affairs Departments, District Attorneys' Offices Helping Keep Bad Cops From Being Held Accountable
- Definitely worth watching: Broadway responds to NYPD chokehold death with poetry
- WGBH covers our lawsuit against Foxboro
- FBI investigating the death of Alyssa Brame
- Our Client Charles Wilhite Files Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit against the Commonwealth
- Class action lawsuit challenges Massachusetts’ practice of incarcerating women solely for drug or alcohol addiction
- Strong Words, Weak Punishments For Police Officers Whose Failure to Follow Procedure Results in the Deaths of Human Beings in Police Custody
- Howard Friedman quoted in article about Seattle’s picking of former Boston police commissioner for police chief
- On the Way to Solitary, Women in Massachusetts Jail Get Strip Searched and Videotaped
- Lawyers rip officers over recording charge
- Our case alleges false arrest, illegal search, and excessive force by Bellingham Police
- Court hears arguments in our class action challenging prison policy that allows male guards to videotape strip searches of female prisoners
- How do we fix the police ‘testilying’ problem?
- The Boston Police Department Took Its Time Investigating Civilian Complaints
- Red flags missed, State Police let problem officers fester
- Lowell Police Superintendent recommends ‘historic’ discipline after investigation faults officers for woman’s death
- Report: Suffolk County second in per capita exonerations
- Animal Rights “Terrorism” Law Should be Struck Down, Attorneys Argued
- We filed a wrongful conviction suit against Springfield Police on behalf of our client Charles Wilhite
- Clearing the cops
- Howard Friedman speaks at MCLE seminar
- Why police brutality goes unpunished
- What happens when police lie?
- Howard Friedman speaks to Boston Bar Association on state erroneous conviction statute
- Howard and David speak at a Suffolk Law School continuing education program
- Video revealed: our client’s daughter died in the custody of Lowell Police
- We are ranked Tier 1 in the 2014 Best Law Firms for civil rights law in the Boston area
- Howard Friedman and David Milton are named Super Lawyers
- Boston Globe editorial regarding three of our cases: Did informants plant evidence? Police, DAs should say more
- Howard Friedman interviewed for radio story on police and technology
- We filed civil rights suits for two more men, alleging a confidential informant in Lowell framed them by planting evidence
- Boston Police 2.0: What does the public lose in information as the department upgrades its digital presence?
- Our firm filed a lawsuit against a Lowell police officer and the City of Lowell after the police misused a confidential informant who planted drugs on our client and many others
- Howard Friedman named the Best Lawyers’ 2014 “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Civil Rights Law in Boston
- Congratulations to Attorney David Milton for becoming a partner in the Law Offices of Howard Friedman!
- Woman dies in Lowell Police custody; Middlesex DA makes recommendations to Department
- Federal Appeals Court Allows Our Class Action to Go Forward; Lawsuit Challenges Male Prison Guards’ Videotaping Strip Searches of Female Inmates
- Officer we sued for using improper force fired by the Boston Police, but now reinstated by a labor arbitrator
- After our lawsuit, Boston Police announce guidelines for how to interact with transgender people
- In our case involving a man who died in police custody, New Bedford officers receive 4-day suspensions
- Howard Friedman joins the board of the Human Rights Defense Center
- Providence TV station covers our lawsuit against Foxborough
- Class Certified in Our Lawsuit Challenging Male Prison Guards’ Videotaping Strip Searches of Female Inmates
- Our Client Neil Miller Describes His Time in Solitary Confinement
- David Milton speaks at Northern Illinois University College of Law
- David Milton speaks at Harvard Law School on representing current or former drug abusers in civil rights cases
- Judge dismisses our animal rights “terrorism” case; an appeal is likely
- Boston Police Department rewards officers accused of misconduct
- Failed police tactics in New York City; from broken windows to stop-and-frisk
- Why police lie under oath
- $20,000 judgment against Boston in our lawsuit alleging police violated transgender woman’s rights; Boston Public Health Commission pays additional $10,000
- Court approves settlement and attorneys’ fees in our lawsuit claiming New Balance toning shoes were falsely advertised
- Boston’s system to track problem police officers defunct since 2005
- Anatomy of a wrongful conviction: The Central Park Five, a new documentary film
- David Milton speaks about videotaping police at ABA teleconference
- Police officers should welcome civilian surveillance
- Howard and David serve on the Supreme Court
- Howard Friedman and David Milton give lightning talks for the American Constitution Society
- Our class action lawsuit against Foxborough expands
- 2013 “Best Law Firm” rankings: Law Offices of Howard Friedman rated Tier 1 in Boston for Civil Rights Law
- Howard Friedman spoke on civil rights violations for strip searches
- Howard Friedman and David Milton are recognized by Super Lawyers
- Howard Friedman speaks at the 2012 Bench and Bar Conference
- Our Firm Filed A Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Five New Bedford Police Officers After Man Dies in Police Custody
- Concertgoers bring class action lawsuit challenging Foxborough’s practice of improperly taking people into protective custody
- Attorney Drew Glassroth joins our team
- Filming the police: what to focus on after 'Glik'
- New Balance settles our lawsuit claiming toning shoes were falsely advertised
- Prosecuting Police Brutality
- DOJ signs consent decree, requiring policy overhaul in New Orleans Police Dept.
- Petition and public hearing address the high cost and low quality of prison telephone service
- Phoenix’s Award for Outrage Against Free Speech goes to School Committee Chairperson we Sued
- Civil Service Commission Upholds Dismissal of Somerville Police Officer Marcos Freitas for Lying
- Attorney David Milton speaks at NYC training
- Nantucket Police Officer Sued for Tackling Man, Fracturing his Skull
- Public records law has no teeth
- Filming the police
- Can we all get along?
- “What a huge debt this nation owes to its ‘troublemakers.’”
- Internal Affairs: Protecting the Integrity of the Badge
- Boston settles lawsuit alleging police falsely arrested and beat teenager for recording officers with his cell phone
- Why do police lie? Insight from a Florida judge
- Brockton police brutally slam man to floor, then file a false police report
- Recording the police
- U.S. Dept. of Justice affirms the right to record police, offers guidelines for police policies
- Another federal appeals court upholds right to record the police
- Blue & Black: Stories of Policing and Violence
- A License to Lie
- Supreme Court rules on strip searches
- The wrongful conviction of Lawyer Johnson
- City of Boston pays $170,000 to settle landmark case involving man arrested for recording police with cell phone
- Boston settles police brutality case for $1.4 million
- Good Cop, Bad Citizen? As Cellphone Recording Increases, Officers Are Uneasy
- South Hadley free speech case settles for $75,000
- Filming the police
- Chicopee jailers violate female inmates' civil rights by allowing male guards to videotape strip searches
- Lowell police detective with history of aggressive behavior is sued for excessive force
- Boston police officer fired for excessive force and lying
- State Police reforms suggested after arrests of multiple troopers
- Glik v. Cunniffe in the news
- Lawsuit filed, alleging Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) violates free speech
- To Protect and Serve?
- News media favors police
- Lawsuit Alleges Boston Police Falsely Arrested and Beat Teenager for Recording Officers with his Cell Phone
- First Circuit Affirms the Right to Record the Police in Public
- Court Finds that Evidence Supports Claim that South Hadley Resident’s First Amendment Rights were Violated
- Resisting arrest
- Public access to police disciplinary records
- Women bring class action lawsuit for practice of male guards' viewing and videotaping strip searches of female inmates
- Justice in New Orleans
- Westport police officer settles false arrest and excessive force lawsuit
- The right to videotape police
- Selected News and Events from 1980's to July 2011
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