NEWS MBTA suffers massive financial damages as a result of frequent fare evasion. p.2
MUSE Interview with the musically talented teens of “Sing Street” p.6
38°/57° MOSTLY CLOUDY
SPORTS With tough Patriot League and Hockey East competition abound, how did BU teams shape up in 2015-16? p. 12
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THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY YEAR XLV. VOLUME XC. ISSUE XIV.
BUPD patrolmen, sergeants fight for job contract
Public input requested for police use of body cameras BY PAIGE SMITH DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
PHOTO BY SARAH SILBIGER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
A BU police officer hands out fliers to students on Commonwealth Avenue to garner support for the unionization of BU police officers and sergeants. BY GRACE LI DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston University Police Department officers have passed out flyers along Commonwealth Avenue for the past week to spread awareness that BUPD’s 46 patrolmen and eight sergeants have been working without a contract for more than 10 months, said Scott Rocheville, 18-year veteran officer of BUPD. Rocheville, the president of the BU Police Patrolmen’s Association, said the patrolmen’s contract expired June 30, 2015. BUPPA and the university had 17 negotiation sessions to negotiate a new contract, but the university is “unwilling to negotiate … in good faith.” The BU Police Sergeant’s Association, on the other hand, has been without a contract since the union was formed in March 2014, Rocheville added. Rocheville argued that the university wanted to take some of the benefits officers have long been granted off the contract, and after the last meeting, the university was not willing to set up any more dates to meet.
“There are things that’ve been in the contract for years that they’re looking to either change or take away completely, and these are benefits that people have enjoyed since I’ve been here,” Rocheville said. “They’re not just little things — they are drastic changes.” Rocheville said he hopes the patrolmen and sergeants at BUPD can gain attention and support from the community on this issue, because their unions, American Coalition of Public Safety Local 1 and Local 17, are fairly small. “We’re here [at BU] every day, you know,” Rocheville said. “In the state of things today, we really do put our lives on the line every time we put a uniform on. So we just want a little bit of respect from our employer and to be treated fairly.” BU spokesperson Colin Riley said the university declined to comment on the negotiations. The flyers that BUPD officers passed out included five aspects of “BU’s Collective Bargaining Blueprint.” The points on the flyer were more shifts and cost for health care
benefits, lower employee pay, fewer employee retirement plan benefits, fewer educational benefits and disrespect toward employees. “BU refuses to bargain in good faith,” the flyer stated. “But the Police continue to do the job and will continue to keep you safe... [On] March 25, 2016: 3 Alarm fire at School of Communication...BU Police first one scene, run in to burning building risking their lives to protect the BU Community...” After the fire was contained, a BUPD officer, along with one Boston Fire Department firefighter and three BU students, were transported to the hospital to be examined for smoke inhalation, The Daily Free Press reported March 25. The flyer also mentioned that the BUPPA and BUPSA are not the only groups of BU employees who have unionized but still do not have a contract with the university. BU full-time and salaried instructors and lecturers unionized with the Service Employees International Union Local 509 on April 6, and they are also in the process of bargaining CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Mayor Walsh’s office ordered to reveal federal subpoenas BY DAVE SEBASTIAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
After Boston Globe reporter Andrew Ryan was denied access to federal subpoenas by the City of Boston, Shawn Williams, Massachusetts super visor of records, ordered Boston Mayor Martin Walsh to acknowledge whether such documents exist and the reasons for their exemption from disclosure, according to a Friday order from Williams. “The City is hereby ordered, within ten (10) days of this order, to provide
Mr. Ryan with a response to the request, provided in a manner consistent with this order, the Public Records Law and its Regulations,” the order stated. Ryan had requested electronic copies of any records related to a grand jur y investigation acquired and provided from the U.S. Attorney’s office since Walsh took office in Januar y 2014, according to a thread of emails disclosed to The Daily Free Press by the Boston Globe reporter. “If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justif y all deletions
by reference to specific exemptions of the act,” Ryan wrote in the email. Laura Oggeri, a spokesperson for Walsh, responded in an email declining the request for disclosure of subpoenas on the grounds of confidentiality. “If the city were to receive a subpoena from law enforcement and provide information … we would be requested by law enforcement to keep it confidential to preser ve the integrity of their investigation,” Oggeri wrote in the email. “Mayor Walsh believes that it is
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A series of community meetings discussing a body camera pilot program for the Boston Police Department began on Monday, according to a digital flyer from the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice. The meetings, hosted by City Councilor Andrea Campbell, the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice and the Social Justice Task Force, are being held in conjunction with a City Council meeting regarding the matter to take place this Tuesday, according to a Monday committee hearing notice. Campbell said in a Wednesday press release that she hopes to hear input on an initiative that she strongly supports already. “I fully support body cameras, and with all new policy developments, it is essential that we receive community input,” Campbell said in a release. “These community meetings are an opportunity for residents, stakeholders, and officers to express their thoughts about body cameras generally and their specific concerns and ideas for the pilot program policy.” Campbell said in the release that a “diverse group of residents, activists and Boston Police Department command staff” have contributed to the community hearings thus far. “The meetings begin with a brief overview of the pilot program and continue with a robust discussion about what we should consider and contemplate as we develop a policy including issues of privacy, retention, selection of officers, potential penalties, and more,” Campbell said in the release. Segun Idowu, co-organizer of the Boston Police Camera Action Team, has supported police use of body cameras since the founding of the organization. “We chose body cameras and decided that early on that for us, it wasn’t a question of whether or not body cameras were a good idea, but we knew body cameras were coming to Boston, whether it be 2016 or 2026,” Idowu said. “We decided that policy was more important and that it come from a community perspective rather than waiting for the police department to craft their own policy.” Idowu said that when developing impactful policies, community input is vital for success. “We didn’t want to go to the city council or the commissioner or the mayor and say that the community wants body cameras and there were tumbleweeds behind us because no one supported it,” he said. “We conducted interviews, I would say, some folks decided to be on camera, or be photographed showing us support. We already talked to the community.” Based on experience with previous con CONTINUED ON PAGE 4