NEMLEC Announces Settlement with American Civil Liberties Union

By Liz Taurasi

The Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, Inc. (NEMLEC) and its membership of more than 60 municipal police chiefs and sheriffs in Middlesex and Essex Counties, including both Hamilton and Wenham departments, has adopted a new public records policy.

In its policy, membership voted that, as an instrument of law enforcement and public safety, NEMLEC should be subject to public records disclosure and should comply with public records requests under Massachusetts G.L. c. 4, § 7, Twenty-sixth, and G.L. c. 66 § 10.

As a result, NEMLEC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts have jointly filed for an entry of judgement, ending the ACLU’s lawsuit against NEMLEC.

“At its core, NEMLEC is a public safety agency, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards of law enforcement. I am proud we were able to come together on this matter, because I firmly believe that both organizations have the same desire for safety and openness,” said Laura Nichols, NEMLEC’s Executive Director in a statement issued Monday. “We would like to thank all parties involved during this process for their diligence and hard work,”

NEMLEC was represented by Attorney Carl Valvo, of the law firm Cosgrove, Eisenberg & Kiley, P.C.