With the revelation that Boston police buried allegations for more than 20 years that a former officer and police union head sexually assaulted more than one minor child, the city’s police department is facing unprecedented pressure for change.
Despite the allegations that an internal investigation deemed credible, former Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Patrick Rose was allowed to work on cases involving minors — and now faces more allegations of assaults on minors.
The new scandal comes after more than a year of revelations of Boston police misconduct, amid a nationwide push for police reforms stemming from the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, and as City Council members and police reform advocates are pushing for greater transparency and accountability from the department.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey took a step in the direction of reform Monday, announcing she has ordered the release of redacted records of the department’s investigation into Rose’s alleged assaults — a move that parts ways with the department’s longstanding practice of suppressing public records.