Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins spoke at a virtual town hall on Thursday night about the recently-announced federal consent decree that was reached with the Springfield Police Department.
Under the agreement, the SPD must improve its use-of-force policies and conduct better misconduct investigations.
Rollins said last night that the consent decree was a milestone moment, especially for the city's communities of color who have long-complained to deaf ears about police abuse.
Rollins noted that the Springfield Police Department was the only one to be investigated by the Justice Department under the Trump administration, and that this was the first consent decree to be decided with President Biden in office.
The lines of communication are open between the DOJ and the City of Springfield. To that end, Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood will meet with Rollins Saturday. The specific agenda for the meeting has yet to be revealed.
(Photo Credit: John Baibak, WHYN News)