"Amid growing tension between the Boston Police Department and the civilian watchdog tapped to oversee it, the city's police oversight office has taken the unprecedented step of subpoenaing several officers to appear at its meeting Thursday. The decision came after members of Boston's Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) expressed concern about the "widespread refusal" of Boston Police Department officers and employees "to participate in interviews or cooperate with OPAT investigations.""
"While the 2021 ordinance that established OPAT gave its three-member commission the ability to subpoena witnesses, the Jan. 29 vote marked the first time agency leaders have opted to flex that authority. "This is a significant record, if you will, in terms of the step forward in the execution of the duties of our agency," OPAT executive director Evandro Carvalho acknowledged after the unanimous vote."
"OPAT did not respond to a request for the names of the subpoenaed officers. However, Carvalho told The Boston Globe, which first reported on the vote, that a total of nine officers had been served. There are seven cases on the agenda for Thursday's meeting of the OPAT Civilian Review Board, all slated for discussion in a closed-door executive session."
The Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) subpoenaed several Boston Police Department officers after reporting a widespread refusal by officers and employees to participate in interviews or cooperate with OPAT investigations. The Jan. 29 vote represented the first time OPAT has exercised its subpoena power granted by the 2021 ordinance. OPAT served nine officers and placed seven cases on the Civilian Review Board agenda for a closed-door executive session. If subpoenaed officers fail to appear, OPAT may seek contempt proceedings and request a judge to compel attendance.
Read at Boston.com
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