Reports Detail How Framingham Officers Use Force

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham police officers have used force — from pointing guns to deploying pepper spray — hundreds of times over the last several years and the number of incidents has increased recently, according to annual reports kept by the department.

Framingham police Chief Steven Trask said officers use force at a very low rate compared to the number of people they arrest — up to 1,800 each year. The rise in use-of-force incidents can be attributed to better reporting standards that Trask put in place in 2018, he said.

Trask released annual reports on use-of-force from 2016 through the first quarter of 2020 after a public records request.

On June 1, Patch asked Framingham police for all use-of-force reports from 2017 to present. Under department policy, officers are required to write a report every time they use force. The department wanted $1,800 to produce almost 250 reports written by officers. In lieu of those, Trask shared his annual use-of-force reports, which contain general statistics.

In the 2019 report, the department recorded 78 incidents where force was used, a sharp increase from 2016, when officers used force in 38 incidents. Prior to 2018, Framingham police only recorded use-of-force incidents that occurred after a person was arrested. Since then, the department has tracked use-of-force when a person is issued a summons or goes to the hospital for a mental health issue, also known as a Section 12.

"We wanted to be more accurate, [with] more transparency," Trask said about the change, which happened when he was appointed chief in 2018 by Mayor Yvonne Spicer.

Use-of-force numbers

Use-of-force during arrests has also increased. In 2018, police used force 46 times during arrests and in 2019 that figure increased to 64. A report covering the first quarter of 2020 showed force was used 18 times, including during 12 arrests. Use-of-force also rose for Section 12 incidents from 10 in 2018 to 12 in 2019, and four in the first quarter of 2020.

The reports from before 2018 show total incidents, plus statistics on what type of force was used and when it was used. Framingham saw a spike in June 2017, for example, which was attributed to Brazil playing in the World Cup.

The department also began looking at use-of-force by race and gender in 2018. Most often, police use force against men who identify as white, according to the reports. In 2019 for example, police used force with 63 men and 15 women; 51 were white, 17 were Black, and 10 were Latino. The race and gender stats are self-reported by people who are arrested, Trask said.

Types of force

The types of force Framingham police use differs each year, but can range from deploying a Taser to pointing a gun. Physical force is by far the most common, but the annual reports don't detail how physical force was used.

Between 2018 and the first quarter of 2020 (Jan. 1 to March 31), Framingham police used physical force 88 times; used a Taser seven times; pointed a gun 27 times; and used a baton on two occasions, according to the reports.

Framingham police are not allowed to use chokeholds, a policy that was emphasized recently when Mayor Yvonne Spicer ordered a review of police policies.

Filing a complaint

Four complaints have been filed over police use-of-force in recent years, according to Trask. Two of those complaints stemmed from the same incident.

Framingham doesn't have a formal process in place for complaining about use-of-force. Instead, Trask said people can file a written or verbal complaint when they're booked if they feel the use of force was "outside [police department] policy or excessive."

The department's internal professional standards department is in charge of investigating complaints. Asked about an alternate complaint system with oversight from outside the department, Trask said there are other avenues available — including contacting Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office or hiring an attorney.

"We don't work in a vacuum," he said.

Trask pointed to the 2018 report on the Framingham police department compiled by an outside consultant, who found no "concern about overuse of force, unlawful search or seizure, biased policing, disrespect for minority populations or disadvantaged populations."

During recent protests over police brutality, demonstrators have demanded more civilian oversight of police. It's also a policy enshrined in the 2015 "21st Century Policing" report produced by the Department of Justice — a document that Trask has said that Framingham is trying to follow.

"To ensure policies are maintained and current, law enforcement agencies are encouraged to periodically review policies and procedures, conduct non-punitive peer reviews of critical incidents separate from criminal and administrative investigations, and establish civilian oversight mechanisms with their communities," the "21st Century Policing" report said.

Trask said that policing — specifically how police use force — has changed a lot in his time on the job. He began as an officer in Framingham in 1987 and has been chief since October 2018 — he's set to retire on Friday. Often, change happens when citizens demand it, he said.

"We just try to get better as a profession," he said.

Here are the use of force reports for the last several years:

Q1 2020

2019

2018

2017