BPD Archives

Boston Police Deployed 71 Drone Flights Over Caribbean Carnival

New records obtained by BINJ also confirm that BPD flew a drone over this year’s Dominican Parade

ELIZA DEWEY October 2, 2025

New BINJ Reporting On Drones And Police Accountability

New reporting by Eliza Dewey asks if Boston police are sharing surveillance data with federal immigration officials

CHRIS FARAONE September 11, 2025

Did The BPD Fly A Surveillance Drone Over The Dominican Parade? They Won’t Tell Us.

We asked if the Boston Police Department is sharing footage from unmanned aerial vehicles with federal law enforcement agencies

ELIZA DEWEY September 10, 2025

Drone Contractor Gets “Rare” Permission To Follow Individuals And Vehicles In Boston

When it comes to private companies working with local cops to conduct mass aerial surveillance, Massachusetts is the “wild west”

CHRIS FARAONE January 27, 2025

THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

Boston police used their fusion center to surveil my journalistic actions. It took nearly seven years for BPD to hold itself somewhat accountable, and only after they used my information in a Department of Homeland Security conference presentation. The department violated transparency laws and their own policies to hide their

MAYA SHAFFER July 13, 2023

STRIKE & FRISK

AG Investigating BPD To Determine If “Gang Unit” Engages In “Unconstitutional Policing” The “review is focused on racial disparities in the rates at which people are stopped and frisked” There has been significant state-level scrutiny of Massachusetts municipal law enforcement in the past year, with the appointed Peace Officer Standards

CHRIS FARAONE May 15, 2023

EARS FOR FEAR: THE SHOTSPOTTER WORKAROUND

Boston, Regional Police Dodge Transparency Ordinance In Bolstering Surveillance Network At a public hearing at the end of November, Boston police and officials heard from activists and lawmakers concerned about transparency regarding surveillance technology in the city. The gunshot detection system ShotSpotter received particular criticism over accuracy and deployment, but

DAN ATKINSON December 13, 2022

CENTRA INTELLIGENCE

New Documents Reveal Extent, Cost Of BPD’s Secret Surveillance Strategy After more than 100 white supremacists gathered in Boston and marched through the city over Independence Day weekend, city and law enforcement officials said they “did not have intelligence” that the nationally-known Patriot Front group was coming to the Hub—despite

DAN ATKINSON July 11, 2022

IS PEER INTERVENTION FOR COPS AN EPIC FAIL IN THE MAKING? A LOOK AT THE NOLA PROGRAM HEADED FOR BOSTON.

“They’re designed to punish a few officers or in some of these cases just to stop them from doing bad things before they get there.”

MITA KATARIA July 28, 2020

PROTESTS AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE CONTINUE TO GAIN TRACTION AND RAISE OVERDUE QUESTIONS IN WHITE AREAS

“White allyship is basically shutting up for one minute of your life. It’s imperative to have people of color leading chants and leading the movement.”

GRACE SYMES July 14, 2020