Elise Lambert v. Pittsfield, City of - Police Department (SPR 20240997)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records April 10, 2024 SPR24/0997 Abigail Hunt Records Access Officer Pittsfield Police Department 39 Allen Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 Dear Ms. Hunt: I have received the petition of Elise Lambert, of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), appealing the nonresponse of Pittsfield Police Department (Department) to a request for public records. See G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). On February 20, 2024, Ms. Lambert requested the following: [1.] A list of all civil suits filed since January 1, 2015 against Pittsfield Police Department or an employee thereof, for actions or omissions committed in the course of employment, containing the following information: [a.] Case caption [b.] Docket number [c.] Final disposition (settled, dismissed, verdict, guilty, etc.) [d.] Amount of money, if any, paid by the city or involved officer pursuant to a verdict or settlement. If there is no list, any other documents in your possession, such as civil complaints and docket sheets, containing this information. [2.] A list of officers who have been criminally prosecuted since January 1, 2015, containing the officer’s full name and case docket number. [3.] Any settlement agreements since January 1, 2015. [4.] Any document, ledger, report, list, or dockets, which summarizes civil lawsuits for actions or omissions committed in the course of employment and/or criminal prosecutions against the Pittsfield Police Department or an employee thereof. One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us

Abigail Hunt SPR24/0997 Page 2 April 10, 2024 If neither the Pittsfield Police Department nor an employee thereof has been civilly sued or criminally prosecuted since January 1, 2015, we request affirmative written confirmation of this to satisfy our request. Claiming to not yet have received a response, Ms. Lambert petitioned this office and this appeal, SPR24/0997, was opened as a result. Subsequently, I learned that a representative from the Department intends on providing a written response to Ms. Lambert. Accordingly, the Department is ordered to provide Ms. Lambert with said response in accordance with the Public Records Law, its Regulations and this order within ten business days. A copy of any such response must be provided to this office. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of the response to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. Ms. Lambert may appeal the substantive nature of the Department’s response within ninety days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Sincerely, Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records cc: Elise Lambert