1,414,641 @ 2:38 pm
1,414,630 @ 2:22 pm
Re: SPR19/2081 Appeal Acknowledgement
Dear Public Records Division,
I'm certainly aware that records regarding the police have limited availability in 15 states, Massachusetts being one of them.
These records are very public in 12 states (including Maine,) and not public in 23 (Rhode Island and New Hampshire, 2 examples.)
That being said, this "limited" availability in Massachusetts is, I believe, the door opener.
As stated in my quite lengthy appeal - and your office has probably never seen an appeal from me that is that passionate, with
all the wrongful conduct made public by past egregious actions by
police officers in Medford, how can city hall then decide - in
the middle of an election cycle - that an avalanche of "police
misconduct" can be shielded? when so many other egregious actions (murder
threat by Stephen Lebert; alleged beat-down of Woburn resident by
Lebert and his uncle resulting in 49k payout; prostitution sting the
late Greg Hudson got caught up in, Hudson's alleged assault on his own
wife; Shawn Hughes allegedly in altercation with his wife - on and on
and on...) have been in the public eye.
This secretive and well-planned action by the mayor's office, the law office and the police department does great harm to the honest police officers who are now held with suspicion by the voting public: did he do it? Did she do it?
Failing
to list the 30 police officers in question, the 27 disciplined, the 3
in limbo, exacerbates the lack of trust the public has with the three offices noted above.
There
is great public interest in knowing who these officers are. Failing to
inform the public casts a shadow on the entire department, a department
that, like the mayor's office, has very public critics who do not
believe they can put their full faith in these government officials who
fail to do what is in the best interest of the citizens.
Indeed,
I have evidence that these officials serve themselves and their own
families before they throw some crumbs to the public.
The
TV station is a huge red flag - again during an election cycle. The
mayor wants a CORI check on every TV producer, including candidates for
elected office. It is an unnecessary invasion of privacy under false
pretenses - protecting the children, when teachers are alleged to be
having affairs with other teachers, teachers taking advantage of
students, and the mayor's own daughter alleged to be one of the students
having an affair with a teacher, neatly swept under the rug - if true -
for the benefit of the mayor's power grab, not her own daughter's
virtue. It's a big part of the public records request - SPR19/2081 -
that the mayor is desperate not to answer as it could doom her try for a
third term.
State
Rep Paul Donato stated years ago that this is the "Most protected
right" - freedom of the press / free speech during an election cycle.
Mr. Donato will never put his money where his mouth is, I've known Paul
for the better part of 5 decades from when he used to visit our
warehouse in the 1970s.
But
clearly my hard work and honest effort to help the public - and my
wisdom regarding Medford history and non compliance by the police
department, is a hard fact that works to benefit the voters of Medford.
The
voters have a right to this information. Hiding it hurts the honest
officers of the law and benefits the mayor and her administration.
I
submit that this charade of "personnel issue" is to benefit the
incumbent mayor while it does irreparable damage to the citizens of
Medford.
Irreparable
damage. Every day that goes by with Mayor Burke causing irreparable
harm to the honest officers, to the public, is a toxic, poisonous tree
that keeps growing. Rather than honestly approaching the voters Mayor
Burke has chosen the fertilization of that poisonous tree. Election
day November 5, 2019 would be marred from this withholding of
information from the voters. Election day would be the fruit of the
poisonous tree, and that is not fair.
It's
simply not fair to the honest cops who do their job and serve the
public well. They are now under a huge cloud of suspicion because
Police Chief Buckley wants to keep issuing his talking points (the same
talking point on his bio on the Medford Police website PRIOR to this
public relations disaster of the 27 disgraced cops.) When City Hall
issues talking points, the public is being denied vital information that
the public has paid for.
I
respectfully request that the information be sent to this writer as
soon as possible and that my appeal is granted to my satisfaction. It is to help the public.
Respectfully,
Joe Viglione
P.O. Box 2392
Woburn MA 01888
Woburn MA 01888
On Thursday, October 10, 2019, 1:28:32 PM EDT, (SEC) wrote:
Good Afternoon,
Please
be aware, this office has received an appeal relating to your entity’s
response to a request for public
records. Attached are further details concerning this appeal. If you
have any questions or wish to provide further information relating to
this matter, please contact Staff Attorney xxxx xxxxxxxx
Given that the Supervisor of Records must issue a determination within 10 business days of receipt of the appeal
petition, please provide any additional information to this office as soon as possible.
Thank you,
xxxxx xxxxxx
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
Public Records Division
One Ashburton Place, Room 1719
Boston, MA 02108
617-727-2832
