Massachusetts
Why don’t all Massachusetts police departments have body camera video?
Police body camera video can provide a full recording of any interaction an officer has with a member of the public, according to security experts.
Eight states have laws making police body cameras mandatory. Massachusetts isn’t one of them.
In fact, WBZ-TV’s I-Team found that less than half of Massachusetts law enforcement agencies have applied for state money to buy the cameras.
Police security experts believe body camera video provides a unique perspective of incidents.
“They paint a very sympathetic picture of the police action. You can really get a granular look at what that officer was being faced with at that particular point in time,” said WBZ News Security Analyst Ed Davis, a former Boston Police Commissioner. “Frankly, I think it helps police.”
A state grant program has given out $13.9 million to departments in Massachusetts to buy the equipment. However, the I-Team has learned many police departments still don’t have body cameras for their officers.
State records show since 2021, out of the 433 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts, only 190 applied for the grant money.
“It is left up to the individual police department. That being said, the departments that have deployed body cameras have done so in the spirit of transparency and accountability and that’s what the public ultimately wants,” said Todd McGhee, a security expert and former Massachusetts State Trooper.
Recent incidents without police body cameras
Francis Gigliotti’s deadly struggle with Haverhill police last July was captured with bystander video and surveillance cameras, but there is no body camera video, because the department doesn’t have the cameras.
The medical examiner ruled Gigliotti’s death a homicide, leaving the district attorney to determine whether the actions of the officers were justified.
Last June, in North Andover, there were no cameras recording when police shot off-duty officer Kelsey Fitzimmons in her home. It happened when a fellow officer went to serve her with a court order to stay away from her fiancé and her newborn baby. North Andover police also do not wear body cameras.
Fitzsimmons was shot in the chest and is now facing criminal charges. The officer who shot her was alone when it happened. Prosecutors said Fitzsimmons reached for her gun.
“There’s no body camera. There’s no other officer up there. There’s three different stories, versions of what exactly was said,” Fitzsimmons’s attorney Tim Bradl said in court earlier this year.
Reasons for not having police body cameras
Massachusetts does not have a law requiring police to wear body cameras. Some departments said storing the video evidence can be expensive. But, the larger issue is that some police unions don’t want them.
“Cities that have buckled under the pressure from officers who don’t want cameras, or for other reasons, don’t put the cameras in place, are making a real mistake as far as the protection of their own employees,” Davis said.
The I-Team reached out to both Haverhill and North Andover about body cameras.
Haverhill’s mayor said the city is negotiating with the patrol officers union to get the cameras. North Andover’s police chief did not respond to our request for comment.
Massachusetts
How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?
With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.
So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?
An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.
Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.
While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.
Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.
“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.
GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.
Massachusetts
Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News
EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.
A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.
The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.
Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.
“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.
They then carried the driver to safety.
Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
No one else was injured in the crash.
Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”
After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”
She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.
“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.
She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.
“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”
Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.
“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”
Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.
“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”
Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.
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Massachusetts
Crews battle fire at Townsend home
A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.
The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.
People have been asked to avoid the area.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.
There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.
This developing story will be updated when we learn more
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