New Britain Racial Justice Coalition Filing Freedom of Information Request Seeking Police Arrest Records – Republican Leader Says They Will Be Published on City Website
The New Britain Racial Justice Coalition (NBRJC) says it has, “submitted a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request to access all arrest records and use-of-force records in 2023 so far,” citing, “the recent decision by the city council to discontinue sending daily police blotters to the New Britain Herald.”
The city is required to provide public documents under Freedom of Information requests, but, under the administration of Mayor Erin Stewart (R), has brought back the practice of charging legal, but often large fees to get copies of the records.
The Coalition says it considers its move, “a significant step in advocating for transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices,” saying that,
For decades, the New Britain Herald has been the primary source of information for readers, providing daily police blotters that detail arrests and charges, promoting transparency between law enforcement and the community. However, the sudden cessation of this practice has left citizens confused and concerned about the lack of accessible information regarding arrests in the city.
“The situation has raised eyebrows, especially considering that police blotters continue to be published by the Newington, Southington, and Plainville police departments,” the Coalition adds.
The Coalition says it, “aims to restore access to arrest records and ensure that vital information remains accessible to the public.”
“The residents of New Britain have the right to know about police activity in their communities without having to cut through bureaucratic red tape,” said NBRJC Director Alicia Strong. “This is an unfortunate step backwards for police accountability in New Britain.”
The New Britain Racial Justice Coalition and others had strongly advocated for the creation of an independent and strong community review board to examine and review actions of the New Britain Police. That proposal was weakened and then defeated under Stewart and the Republican controlled City Council in 2020. The Coalition says that it, “firmly believes that access to arrest records and use-of-force records is crucial for fostering trust, accountability, and transparency between the city and the community.”
At the Council meeting following the announcement by the Coalition, the Republican Council leader, President Pro-Tempore Robert Smedley (R-4) said that there is no policy on not reporting crimes, and called suggestions of a cover-up, “misinformation”. He said that the Herald decided to stop publishing police blotters in 2021, saying, “they stopped reporting that on their own. We had continued to waste resources to provide them the information, that, as Alderman Scirpo detailed, they were picking and choosing what they were going to publish.”
“To improve this situation,” Smedley added, “the city, very shortly, will be publishing our arrest logs online for everyone to be able to get information quickly, through our city and police department website.”
At the Council meeting, Board of Assessment Appeals member Candyce Scott (D), who is a candidate for Council in Ward 3, said that she has been hearing concerns from residents about a car break in and other incidents, but that it had not been reported because the police blotter is no longer released to the press. Scott said that, as opposed to official statements, people have been telling her that they do no feel safe in city parks.
In response to Scott’s comments Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) said that he submitted an official Council petition to urge, “the police and mayor to go back to being transparent, adding that it is unheard of to have to ask for police blotter information through Freedom of Information.
“By submitting this FOI request,” the Coalition says it was seeking, “to uphold the principles of open governance and empower citizens with vital information about law enforcement activities in New Britain.”
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