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Category Archives: crime & public safety

Trump Springfield

Analysis: The Shadow Trump Cast over Springfield…

In the death throes of his administration and the insurrection he incited, Donald Trump, his Twitter feed reduced to an echo on the Internet Archive, has become a mere shade of himself. More than five years after his fateful escalator ride, however, the impact he

DOJ Report Torches Pearl Street on Excessive Force, Narcotics Bureau…

UPDATED 10:37AM: To include statements from the City Council. After a two-year investigation, officials from the Department of Justice have found a disquieting pattern excessive force, shoddy and false recordkeeping and crummy supervision in the Narcotics Bureau of the Springfield Police Department. The damning portrait

Take My Council, Please: A Horse Is a Horse, of Course of Course…

SPRINGFIELD—Horses are in the streets. Fireworks are flying through the air—and more than a few houses. Mayoral chicanery is afoot on the Police Commission and Council unanimity reigns on steps to produce racial progress. Such was the nearly five-hour virtual meeting Monday. The remote nature

Briefings: Was Pearl Street Pinch Hitting for DCF at COVID’s Outset?…

Before sufficient procedures and protective equipment were introduced, the outbreak of COVID-19 had been spreading to officers of the Springfield Police Department. Those infected or exposed were sidelined. Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood would later claim that put pressure on staffing and would be used as

Briefings: Clapprood Renders Justice of Her Own in Nathan Bill’s Case…

In a controversial move during a global health pandemic, Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood announced the reinstatement of five still-charged police officers tied the Nathan Bill’s case. The relevant officers were not the alleged off-duty perpetrators of an assault outside the East Forest Park watering

Briefings: Failure to Communicate? Sarno Spox Arrested…

UPDATED 11/22/19 11:01PM: To clarify that while Sullivan is described as “of Longmeadow” in some outlets, her address is actually in Springfield. UPDATED 11/18/19 6:38PM: To include details of Sullivan’s suspension and to note reporting from The Republican on the circumstances of her arrest. Marian

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…It Must Not Break the Bonds of Our Affection…

Cong. Giffords (wikipedia) A Special Editor’s (Extended) Note: It has been just over a week since a mad gunman ripped apart a scene that illustrates one of the central tenets of our democracy.  After an initial rash of caustic finger-pointing and demands that we learn