1,405,415 views on one of my websites @ 1:33 pm on Sept 26, 2019
Just sent:
| Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division McCormack Building One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108-1512 |
Dear Secretary of State:
Today is the tenth business day for the Medford Police Department to hand over a document with 27 names of police officers who were disciplined. I am hoping to receive the information today as it is of great public interest. My readers are very concerned and want this information. It seems that city hall is stonewalling as the election is November 5, 2019, twenty-six days away.
I have some deep concerns that the police will fail to do the right thing.
1)At the City Council of Medford on or about October 2, the untrustworthy City Solicitor Mark E. Rumley and Police Chief Jack Buckley were declaring that they won't be revealing these names - public servants
2)Two councilors - Adam Knight and Fred Dello Russo, Jr., were using the current administration talking points "This is a personnel matter." These individuals work for the citizens of Medford. With all his political connections retired officer Jimmy Lee couldn't use "personnel issue" totally when he whacked his mistress in the mouth causing her to get stitches at the hospital. Allegations of the late officer Greg Hudson strangling his wife and later getting caught in a prostitution sting were very public "personnel issues." Steven Lebert threatening to murder a man was national news, that "personnel issue" not hiding his name; allegations of Shawn Hughes in a domestic dispute with his wife - a judge ordering his gun removed from his home; officer Shawn Norton drunk driving, even the former chief's own son, an MBTA cop, pulled over for allegations of drunk driving, the chief threatening me on 10/17/17 when I spoke after him at the city council and brought the Channel 5 story up on ex Chief Sacco's son.
3)Also troubling is that the police department has NEVER to my knowledge answered one of my public records requests in all these years. This article from Oct 18, 2018, a year ago, spells the problem out:
Medford Police Department appears to be ignoring public records requests, in some cases for years
Rumley has lied to me and to the public repeatedly over the past sixteen years that I have known him. Mr. Rumley simply cannot be trusted to work for the people that he took an oath to serve. The oath means nothing to him.
|
3)Mr. Rumley, city lawyer, has engaged in this hideous subterfuge in the past. Rumley was appointed to the board of directors of Medford Community Cablevision, Inc. He took it upon himself to investigate the blatant malfeasance of $38,000.00 missing (that's what the local newspaper, the Medford Transcript listed; allegedly it was a LOT more than that.) Rumley gave the 501c3 ten days, then another ten days, then threw the hot potato at the AG's office AFTER saying his demands were not the same as the AG's demands.
Rumley has lied to me and to the public repeatedly over the past sixteen years that I have known him. Mr. Rumley simply cannot be trusted to work for the people that he took an oath to serve. The oath means nothing to him.
Now they claim that the office of the District Attorney has this new hot potato. It's been SIX YEARS since the AG's office was alerted to the 2013 alleged dissolution of the aforementioned 501c3 - and as your office knows, I've filed records request after records request, but Martha Coakley AND Maura Healey's office doesn't care about the missing monies - they both have done nothing.
That's exactly what Medford City Hall, taking a page from the Donald Trump White House, is doing. They are stonewalling, violating the public records law, just as I've caught them violating the Open Meeting Law.
This is highly damaging to Mayor Stephanie Muccini-Burke which is why the police are feigning it is a "personnel" matter, and have issued the talking points to their shills on the city council, Mr. Dello Russo and Mr. Knight.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Today the records are due. City Hall and the police declared last Tuesday that they are going to follow Donald Trump's formula for obstruction and make false claims that they cannot release the names of the 27 officers. This is not right in America where the
citizens pay those salaries.
Under the current law, a records custodian must respond to a request for records in writing within 10 calendar days. Beginning January 1, 2017, a RAO must permit inspection or furnish a copy of a requested public record within 10 business days following receipt of the request.Jun 3, 2016
It appears that today, October 9th, the information is due.
Thurs 26, Friday 27, Monday 30th; Tues-Friday 1-4, Monday - Wednesday 7,8,9 - ten days
Your office knows the sleight of hand that the solicitor has engaged in with previous requests of mine. The police just flat out refused to answer in the past while Mr. Rumley or his office send out responses which are insulting, resulting in your office putting the pressure on the law office of Medford. For which I thank you.
I would appreciate the records via e mail today.
Thank you
Joe Viglione
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Joe Viglione
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019, 01:47:17 PM EDT
Subject: Public Records Request - Medford Police
Medford Police Records OfficerLieutenant Joseph Casey
City of Medford Police
100 Main Street
Medford, MA 02155
Fax: 781-219-4066
Email: jcasey@medfordpolice.com
City of Medford Police
100 Main Street
Medford, MA 02155
Fax: 781-219-4066
Email: jcasey@medfordpolice.com
Dear Records Officer Casey:
PRELUDE TO PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST
Please understand that the Medford Police Department has absolutely refused to answer previous public records requests, one including documents regarding a teacher allegedly having an affair with a powerful politician's daughter.
After filing that request on or about Dec. 3, 2015, the Medford Police decided to resurrect a case that I filed after being physically and verbally assaulted by city clerk Edward P. Finn (on or about June 16, 2015.) Lies by Mr. Finn and City Councilor Richard Caraviello - lies to the police - were used to press false charges on the victim. The police falsely claimed Finn never assaulted this writer, yet when the police filed false criminal charges on the victim, they made it clear that Finn did assault this writer - you can't have a witness without a crime, and Ed Finn broke the law and assaulted a person attending a city council meeting. The second time I was assaulted at the council, the first time, by Matthew Page Lieberman, the police determined that I was the sole victim. It was front page news in the Medford Transcript.
I DEMAND THE POLICE TREAT ME FAIRLY INSTEAD OF THE REPEATED DISCRIMINATION AIMED AT THIS WRITER.
On October 17, 2017, ex Police Chief Leo A. Sacco Jr. retaliated against me and threatened me with "the police service you deserve" when I informed the public, via the city council, of Mr. Sacco's son not getting a breathalyzer or field sobriety test in January of 2017.
Though I have helped the Medford Police with solving a theft at Tony's Gas on Salem Street; malicious destruction of property at the dental office across the street from Tony's Gas, videotaped the police strike at Montvale Plaza at the request of the police or people
working with the police, I have faced retaliation and harassment for working to give the public information of great public interest.
My treatment by Solicitor Rumley at Medford City Hall has been horrendous and not what we expect from a public servant.
Here is my request - I expect an answer within 10 days, an answer to the documents request that includes the documents requested:
This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M. G. L. Chapter 66, Section 10). I am requesting that I be provided a copy of the following records:
A)The document which includes the names of the 27 officers involved in the suspensions and disciplinary action found in a new Patch article:
"Of the 45 officers investigated, 15 were fully exonerated and findings could not be supported for three officers. Twenty officers were suspended without pay and seven received a written letter of reprimand, according to the department." https://patch.com/massachusetts/medford/medford-police-detail-investigation-20-suspended-7-reprimanded
B)All the documents concerning the investigation of alleged child pornography. See attached disc.
At the request of the Medford Police Department, despite my efforts to give evidence to the FBI and the office of Marian Ryan via former ADA Douglas Nagengast, a floppy disc was given to former detective J.J. McLean, who desperately wanted the letter and disc.
Incredibly, Mr. McLean said that the police could not ascertain the age of the actor (alleged victim) in the photograph(s) that the police stated were nude image(s).
1)The alleged victim worked at a pizza shop in Medford
2)The alleged perpetrator/alleged pornographer was allegedly evicted, leaving the floppy disc behind
3)The pizza place, which is noted in the evidence, would have the contact information for the victim
4)The date of the eviction means the photography date would be prior to the eviction.
5)The business would have the date of the teenager's birth or access to that date
Incredibly, this should be an easy case to solve: finding the date of the person whose image(s) appears on the disc.
Again, all documents concerning this case, especially since the police did not pursue it, should be turned over to this investigative journalist as this is a matter of great public interest.
C)All documents regarding any removal of a varsity coach/teacher at Medford High School, June 30, 2015 who allegedly had an affair with the daughter of a powerful Medford politician. This request resulted in false charges pressed on the journalist, which was clear retaliation. That will be dealt with in Federal Court, Viglione vs Medford, Caraviello, Mackowski et. al.
As Mark Rumley noted to me in regards to the MCC TV3 cases "You don't expel someone from the country for filing a case against the U.S.A." Sadly, Mr. Rumley has done everything in his power to DENY me access to the access TV station - denying the public information of great information - because I had the integrity to sue the access station which the solicitor was assigned to the board of.
Please do not continue the harassment exacted on this journalist because I will be a plaintiff in a suit against the police department. No funny business and false charges for my asking the right questions. The police have sued the police department, as you know, and it is sad that a journalist has to insert this information into a public records request. That Mayor Burke went from being kind and considerate to me a decade or so ago to being absolutely nasty to this journalist makes one wonder what this mayor is hiding, and why she isn't more forthright with the people she should be transparent with.
I recognize that you may charge reasonable costs for copies, as well as for personnel time needed to comply with this request. However, as a journalist with 1,405,415 views on one of my websites @ 1:33 pm on Sept 26, 2019, these matters are of great public interest and the fee should be waived.
The Public Records Law requires you to provide me with a written response within 10 business days. If you cannot comply with my request, you are statutorily required to provide an explanation in writing.
Sincerely,
Joe Viglione
