BOSTON — The city of Boston’s website that promises data on police complaints, arrests, interactions with youth and use of force is page full of broken links, making information inaccessible to the public, 25 Investigates finds.
We discovered this after starting off on a different story. 25 Investigates frequently files public records requests to get important information to our viewers, provide context to stories, and identify trends.
December 15, 2023, we filed a request with the city of Boston’s Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, or OPAT. 25 Investigates asked OPAT for all complaints it had received about officers and reasons for the disposition of each complaint. Massachusetts state law requires agencies to acknowledge receipt of public records requests with 10 business days and soon after provide a timeline to provide them and cost estimate if applicable.