As we look back at news of the week, new Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood in Springfield, Massachusetts, left the door open to indicted officers returning to the job, if they are acquitted.
More than a dozen officers are facing charges related to an incident at a city bar in 2015. Two others are facing federal charges in a separate incident.
Clapprood was sworn in this week after serving as commissioner on an interim basis since February. She was asked if the department was recovering after all the legal issues. She indicated the department is bouncing back.
"It might end up where we recover well," Clapprood said. "You might see some of these trials come to fruition six months, 10 months from now, and they have favorable outcomes. And then we can say, 'See,' and bring them back into the fold, and move on."
A police spokesman said the indicited officers could still face departmental hearings, which could lead to discipline. Those hearings would take place after the criminal cases are settled.
"We are in an innocent-until-proven guilty society," said panelist Ron Chimelis. "But I don't think she should say, 'We can say, "See,"' Because — as we know — there's gonna be questions by the public. The public doesn't have a ton of confidence in the police, at the moment. And they don't have a ton of confidence in the courts. So there is still something to deal with from a public relations standpoint, but I do believe that if they're acquitted, it's hard to say that innocent people shouldn't have jobs. Maybe there is some internal punishment they could get."
Panelist Carrie Saldo noted the group of indicted officers is only a fraction of the Springfield police force as a whole.
"You've got 470 so on the force overall," she said. "So I think some people could look at this and say, you know, some allegations against some bad apples, versus a larger police force."
Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke, Massachusetts, and Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Richard Neal engaged in a back-and-forth this week over Morse's fundraisng. Morse is challenging Neal for the 1st Congressional District seat in next year's Democratic primary.
Morse touted raising more than $200,000 since entering the race in July. Neal's campaign manager responded, saying Morse is well behind his stated goal of raising $1 million by the end of the year. He then rapped Morse over the Holyoke schools being in state receivership, and broken fire hyrants contributing to a city house burning down recently. Morse took exception, calling the fire hydrant comment "petty."
Recently, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission approved home delivery of marijuana. One of our panelists writes the state might be getting too greedy when it comes to access to marijuana.
Finally, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, recently became the sixth community in the state to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. Accoring to The Berkshire Eagle, one Great Barrington select board member said the move is a way to push for social equity.
Guests:
- Ron Chimelis, columnist, Springfield Republican
- Carrie Saldo, host, WGBY's Connecting Point
