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OPAT Commission Public Hearing - Proposed Regulations OPAT 1.00

The Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) Commission will meet virtually for a public hearing on Thursday, October 26, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Interpretation and translation services are available to you at no cost. If you need them, please contact us at opatboards@boston.gov or 617-635-4224 by October 19, 2023.

Under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 30A and the City of Boston Code, Ordinances, 12-16.4, the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) Commission will conduct a public hearing for the purposes of gathering comments, ideas, and information concerning proposed amendments to the regulations governing OPAT procedures, board regulations, and the Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

Hearing Details:

The hearing will be held in a virtual (remote) format. Members of the public are welcome to attend through Zoom on Thursday, October 26, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All persons desiring to be heard on this matter should appear at that time or submit comments by email or mail. If you are interested in offering comments, you are encouraged, but not required, to pre-register by sending an email to opatboards@boston.gov with a subject line stating, “OPAT Commission Regulations.”

To join virtually or via computer, click on the following link:

Register for the hearing

Registration helps OPAT Staff to anticipate if additional time will be needed for the hearing. You may need to allow extra time to download Zoom.

If you are unable or do not wish to register online for the hearing, please email opatboards@boston.gov or call 617-635-4224 and let us know that you wish to join the hearing. To join via telephone (audio only), please register for the hearing or contact OPAT Staff to receive dial-in information.

Given the volume of comments anticipated, the Commission may limit a speaker’s time to five minutes. All attendees should dress and conduct themselves as if attending in person.

Submission of Comments:

The submission of written comments or testimony in advance of the hearing is welcome and may be made by e-mail to opatboards@boston.gov with a subject line stating, “OPAT Commission Regulations” or by mail to Policy & Data Analyst Mariah Sabir at the physical address listed above. Comments received after October 26, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. might not be considered.

Availability of Proposed Regulations:

The proposed regulations are available on the OPAT website at: boston.gov/opat. The regulations are attached as a downloadable PDF to the meeting notice webpage. You may obtain a written copy from the Boston City Clerk's Office, by emailing a request to opatboards@boston.gov, or mailing a request to Policy and Data Analyst Mariah Sabir, Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, 2201 Washington St, Ste 102, Roxbury, MA 02119.

Notice of Accommodations:

Interpretation and translation services are available to you at no cost. If you need them, please contact us at opatboards@boston.gov or 617-635-4224 by October 19, 2023.

The public can offer testimony.

Discussion Topics

  1. Proposed Regulations OPAT 1.00

    Summary of Proposed Regulations: OPAT promulgated OPAT 1.00, regulations on OPAT investigations, complaints, conflicts of interest, meeting dates, and the Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

    • As promulgated, 1.01 requires the party with the burden of proof to demonstrate that an allegation or argument is far more likely to be true than false.
    • As stated in 1.02, to avoid duplication of effort, the OPAT shall not run parallel investigations with the Boston Police Department (BPD) or Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission into civilian complaints of police misconduct.
    • 1.03 states that the OPAT Staff will consider a complaint incomplete if it is missing two or more pieces of necessary information; that information being specific date/time/location of the incident alleged, specific misconduct being alleged to have been committed by a BPD employee, and other descriptive and identifying information regarding the BPD employee named in the complaint. OPAT Staff will reach out to the complainant to retrieve information, and the complainant will be given 7 days to respond.
    • 1.04 states that shall members of the Internal Affairs Oversight Panel (IAOP) or the Civilian Review Board (CRB) be unable to fulfill their roles due to a conflict of interest, it will be referred to the OPAT Commission for review and recommendation.
    • 1.05 requires that the OPAT Commission shall set the meeting calendar of the CRB, IAOP and the OPAT Commission each December for the next calendar year.
    • 1.06 establishes a Youth Advisory Council to advise the Executive Director and the members of the IAOP and the CRB to give youth a space to be heard and where they can discuss issues in their communities.
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