SPRINGFIELD—Amid the ever-growing national demonstrations following the death of George Floyd at police hands in Minneapolis, residents here again took to the streets to demand redress for systemic racism in law enforcement. Unlike this past Wednesday’s protest, however, this past Saturday protesters focused on issues
SPRINGFIELD—A crowd of thousands wedged themselves into relatively narrow Pearl Street between Police Headquarters and the old armory fence that now hems in Springfield Technical Community College. They were there to protest police brutality and demand reforms to end the systemic racism that contributed to
Before sufficient procedures and protective equipment were introduced, the outbreak of COVID-19 had been spreading to officers of the Springfield Police Department. Those infected or exposed were sidelined. Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood would later claim that put pressure on staffing and would be used as
UPDATED 4/21/20 3:46PM: A prior version of this post, and others, had misspelled the Police Commissioner’s name. It is Clapprood, not Claprood. SPRINGFIELD—While the final decisions will be left to Governor Charlie Baker, it does appear that Western Massachusetts and its largest city are setting
In a controversial move during a global health pandemic, Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood announced the reinstatement of five still-charged police officers tied the Nathan Bill’s case. The relevant officers were not the alleged off-duty perpetrators of an assault outside the East Forest Park watering
SPRINGFIELD—After a years-long pursuit, the City Council approved funding for the institution of body-worn cameras for the Springfield Police Department. The funds, in the form of a bond, were among the final steps necessary to begin the program, which will require officers to wear cameras
UPDATED 3:15PM: To include apparent confirmation the mayor supports the bill. SPRINGFIELD—After months of debate and false starts, the City Council approved a moratorium of sorts on the city’s use of facial recognition software. After a marathon session at the last meeting, the body set
SPRINGFIELD—The growing ambition of the City Council beached itself onto the body’s widening political gulf, amid procedural and substantive disagreements on civil liberties and a public works project. While the Council ultimately voted to kill an order that could frustrate the X intersection project, it
SPRINGFIELD—If sparks were flying at the first City Council meeting of the year, they had manners. Equipped with three new members after last year’s elections, the Council moved ahead on a now-moratorium on facial recognition software. The body also formally requested the help of the
At the beginning, 2019 felt like it had all the fixings of a great year for the City of Homes. The Council was resurgent. The East-West rail study was (finally) moving. The region’s congressman ascended to one of Congress’s top posts. MGM was entering its