Federal Court Ruling Keeps Lawsuit Against Boston Police Officers Alive

A federal judge has questioned Boston’s record of investigating allegations that police officers used excessive force, issuing a ruling that keeps alive a lawsuit claiming the city has allowed police misconduct to go unpunished. The lawsuit was brought by Nicholas Cox, who said he was beaten by two police officers in 2010. Both officers have a lengthy history of complaints against them, but Boston police records show that the city did not investigate seemingly obvious misconduct.

Boston’s civil rights groups lauded the decision. “What is troubling is the officers being sued here have really bad histories,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. “It shows there is misconduct taking place, excessive force being used, and the city has not disciplined, and has not properly investigated these incidents.”

The Boston Globe article is available at: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/23/lawsuit-against-bpd-officers-accused-excessive-force-can-forward/p3zp0WctjBynOVHZS9CDuO/story.html