Massachusetts SWAT teams claim they’re private corporations, immune from open records laws

[thekingsmen]

Welcome to the Police State, Brehs. You will not enjoy your stay.

It's already been known Police have no constitutional rights to serve and protect the people. They protect property and that is all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia


1856, the U.S. Supreme Court (South v. Maryland) found that law enforcement officers had no duty to protect any individual. Their duty is to enforce the law in general. More recently, in 1982 (Bowers v. DeVito), the Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit held, "...there is no Constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents... but it does not violate... the Constitution." Later court decisions concurred: the police have no duty to protect you.

 

[thekingsmen]

This shyt has me flabergasted. How is the government allowing them to take taxpayer money and hide from scrutiny. fukking OCP cops. N when someone shoots one of these clowns they're still going to be charged like they killed a real cop.

These are just mercenaries

The taxpayer isn't a person or people, they are human capital. Tax money isn't our money to keep, it's forced in the hands of the Crown State.

 

[Crakface]

The taxpayer isn't a person or people, they are human capital. Tax money isn't our money to keep, it's forced in the hands of the Crown State.

I be forgettin that shyt.

 

[Crakface]

Welcome to the Police State, Brehs. You will not enjoy your stay.

It's already been known Police have no constitutional rights to serve and protect the people. They protect property and that is all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia


1856, the U.S. Supreme Court (South v. Maryland) found that law enforcement officers had no duty to protect any individual. Their duty is to enforce the law in general. More recently, in 1982 (Bowers v. DeVito), the Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit held, "...there is no Constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents... but it does not violate... the Constitution." Later court decisions concurred: the police have no duty to protect you.

@DEAD7 says Ron Paul will protect you.

 

[thekingsmen]

@DEAD7 says Ron Paul will protect you.

No one can protect us except for us.

 

[ill]

Interesting note: Massachusetts police officers aren't required to have a valid Firearms permit. If you have a restraining order against you, you aren't allowed to own a gun. Mass police get around with a loophole as those that are banned from private ownership of guns are STILL ALLOWED to carry a gun "on the job" as its issued by the police department and the cops nor feds will do or say anything to stop their illegal carrying of a firearm.

 

[ill]

No one can protect us except for us.

People always say we don't need guns based on current situations. They really need to take the future and the past into account and realize individual citizens can only truly protect themselves if they are armed.

 

[CouldntBeMeTho]

The idea of people enriching themselves at the cost of others peoples freedom is unpalatable.

*"corporations are people too, friend"

sadly that's been the story of American history.

if the thought of a corporate militia policing your communities doesn't scare you, ionno what to say

 

[Crakface]

I cant imagine wh

People always say we don't need guns based on current situations. They really need to take the future and the past into account and realize individual citizens can only truly protect themselves if they are armed.

Those people are either sheep, descendents of cowards or already on top.

 

[DEAD7]

Those people are either sheep, descendents of cowards or already on top.

 

[bnew]

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/i-need-an-update-to-this-story-pBB5hv3ITEGS4cFU32HlDg

Since Radley Balko’s 2014 article on Massachusetts SWAT teams claiming “private corporation” status to avoid public records requests, several developments have reshaped the issue of SWAT accountability and police transparency in the state.

The ACLU Lawsuit and Outcome​

• In 2014, the ACLU of Massachusetts sued the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), challenging its refusal to release documents by claiming corporate immunity.
• By 2015, NEMLEC agreed to a settlement with the ACLU. As part of the agreement, NEMLEC acknowledged it was a public agency subject to open records laws and began releasing documents about its SWAT operations.
• The records revealed that the overwhelming majority of NEMLEC’s raids from 2012–2014 were drug related and disproportionately impacted communities of color, confirming many of the concerns raised by the original ACLU report.

Public Records Reform in Massachusetts​

• At the time, Massachusetts had one of the weakest public records laws in the country.
• In 2016, the legislature passed long-awaited public records reform, signed by Governor Charlie Baker. The law strengthened access, set deadlines for compliance, and allowed for the recovery of legal fees by requesters who prevail in court. While still considered weaker than open government laws in other states, this was a major step forward.
• Law enforcement agencies, including LECs, are now more constrained in using blanket arguments to reject public records requests.

Broader Context of Police Militarization​

• The debate over LECs and SWAT transparency came at the same time as national scrutiny on police militarization following incidents in Ferguson (2014) and beyond.
• Federal programs such as the Department of Defense’s 1033 Program, which transfers surplus military equipment to police, were curtailed during the Obama administration, loosened again under Trump, and have seen ongoing scrutiny under the Biden administration.
• In Massachusetts, controversy over armored vehicles, drones, and use of no-knock raids has continued, fueling calls for limits on SWAT deployment except in genuine emergencies.

Recent Developments (2020–2025)​

• The police reform law of 2020, passed after the killing of George Floyd, created the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, which expands oversight of policing practices statewide. Although not solely focused on SWAT teams, the law adds new accountability mechanisms.
• Some LECs, including NEMLEC and METROLEC, have modestly increased their public-facing transparency efforts, maintaining websites with descriptions of units and training, though critics argue these are still selective and incomplete.
• Nationwide scrutiny of no-knock raids has grown after tragedies such as the death of Breonna Taylor. In Massachusetts, the state’s 2020 law heavily restricted no-knock warrants, forcing SWAT teams to justify their use under stricter rules.
• As of 2025, advocacy groups continue to push for more granular data on SWAT deployments, racial disparities, and use-of-force incidents, but Massachusetts police councils no longer claim blanket immunity as “private corporations.”

---

ACLU of Massachusetts v. NEMLEC

This state lawsuit sought the release of documents about the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council's SWAT team and other military-style tactics.

www.aclum.org

SWAT records released as NEMLEC settles lawsuit

Once claiming it was a private nonprofit corporation exempt from the state's public records law, a regional law enforcement group has now agreed to release more than 900 pages of documents detailing …

www.tauntongazette.com

Newly released SWAT records show failed drug war drives police militarization in Massachusetts

Never before published After Action Reports from a Massachusetts SWAT team reveal the extent to which the militarization of the police is bound up with drug prohibition and the government’s decades old, failing war on drugs. The records, the first of their kind to be made public in Massachusetts...

www.aclum.org

Newly Released Records Shed Light On NEMLEC SWAT Team Actions

Newly released records have drawn back the curtain on NEMLEC, the state's largest regional law enforcement association.

www.cbsnews.com