Suffolk U. pulls plug on police abuse hotline

Yawu Miller

Officials at Suffolk University shut down a hotline for civilian complaints about police abuse run out of its law school’s Juvenile Justice Center just days after it opened.

A spokeswoman from the university told the Boston Globe that it would be inappropriate to monitor complaints of police harassment.

“It’s not the university’s role to be an investigative agency for monitoring and reporting on the performance of police,” Suffolk University Director of Public Affairs Rosemary Sansone was quoted as saying.

The closure of the line — and rumors that the move was in response to pressure from city officials — has activists and black elected officials up in arms.

“I saw Suffolk University’s role in gathering information about juvenile justice to be a natural extension of the Suffolk University Juvenile Justice Center,” said State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson. “There is certainly an expectation that professors and administrators would enjoy a level of academic freedom. I would hope that academic freedom is not being stifled in this instance.”

The hotline was proposed during community meetings on youth issues and violence held by elected officials of color. During the meetings, many complained of police abuse of teens. Mayor Thomas Menino has consistently opposed the idea of a civilian review panel to monitor complaints filed by civilians against police.

Teenagers and youth advocates interviewed by the Banner in recent weeks say teens are routinely illegally searched by police and often verbally and physically abused. According to statistics provided by police last year, the department’s Internal Affairs Division substantiated just five percent of civilian-initiated complaints for use of force filed in the preceding five years.

Teenagers and adults in the black community are often reluctant to report police abuse for fear of retribution, according to Marlena Rose, a member of the group, United Youth and Youth Workers of Greater Boston.

“The hotline was supposed to be something that would empower youth, let them speak for themselves,” she said. “And it was shut down immediately. This is a slap in the face. As soon as we start telling kids ‘go ahead, call this line, your name’s not going to the police,’ it’s shut down.”

The university’s move comes as it is seeking approval from the city to build a controversial 31-story dormitory building in a Beacon Hill neighborhood. When the hotline was opened, John Nucci, the University’s vice president for Government and Community Affairs, told the Globe that the hotline “should not be seen as evidence that the university believes police are abusive toward teens.”

Civil rights activists, however, say evidence of police abuse is widespread.

“No problem has ever been solved by pretending it doesn’t exist,” said Barbara Dougin, staff counsel at the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights. “Anyone who goes to any forum on police issues hears young people talk about how they’ve been abused by some police officers,” she said. “By denying that, it’s only going to make things worse.”

Wilkerson said the widespread feeling among teens that police abuse their rights has contributed to an atmosphere of distrust that, in the end, hampers the police.

“We have to do everything in our power to encourage our neighbors to step up and give police information to get guns off the street,” she said. “But when you have a situation where people do not trust the police it’s impossible to get people to communicate with them.”