In December 2022, the ACLU of Massachusetts, represented by the law firm Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C., filed a public records lawsuit against the City of Pittsfield for failing to produce the Pittsfield Police Department’s policies, procedures, and records of street-level interactions.
The ACLU of Massachusetts filed two public records requests with the City of Pittsfield—one in November 2020, and the other in July 2021. By law, the city is required to respond to such requests within ten business days. Yet, despite multiple follow-up attempts, the city has failed to produce any records in response to these requests.
Through these public records requests, the ACLU of Massachusetts seeks records of interactions between Pittsfield police officers and private individuals, from stops and frisks to traffic stops to arrests. As the complaint argues, the public has a right to know how the Pittsfield police carry out their duties, and to understand how officers serve—or fail to serve—their communities.
The complaint asks that the City of Pittsfield be compelled to produce these documents, in accordance with the Public Records Law.
