Medford Expands Platform For Civil Rights Complaints

MEDFORD, MA — City officials last week expanded the means by which constituents may file civil rights complaints, including options to submit reports confidentially through the Office of Diversity or directly to the Medford Police Department's Civil Rights Unit.

Forms are available for downloading or for submitting electronically here, or by visiting www.medfordma.org/diversity. Constituents can also file complaints directly with the Medford Police Department at www.medfordpolice.com.

"A necessary part of the process of eradicating and dismantling racism is to call out and address acts of harmful hateful aggression," Neil Osborne, director of Diversity and Human Resources, said in a statement. "The availability of this form gives the City another tool and another lens to address discrimination within Medford."

The Medford Police Department has a Civil Rights Unit with a dedicated officer assigned to the investigation of all Civil Rights complaints and investigations within the City of Medford. The unit is currently led by Officer Kevin Purifory, who recently launched a full internal review of past reports and investigations by the department to identify ways it can potentially improve its policies and practices. The Civil Rights Unit works independently of ongoing investigations to ensure that complaints are reviewed impartially and that, if necessary, charges or disciplinary action may be taken.

"I encourage everyone in this community to come forward whenever a crime of hate occurs and whenever one believes their civil rights have been denied," Police Chief Jack Buckley said in a statement. "The Medford Police will handle these matters quickly and with the seriousness they deserve. The key to our future success will be building partnerships with our victims and our community."

The City is also exploring options for constituents to confidentially submit reports and photos directly through the SeeClickFix platform and smartphone app, which is being relaunched this fall. Complaint forms will be available soon in additional languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole and Arabic.

"Our number one priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents, and we want to provide as many options as possible for everyone to feel safe and comfortable reporting any issue of discrimination or any way that they feel their rights may have been violated," Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. "No one should feel that they cannot come forward and have these matters thoroughly investigated, and I hope that providing additional ways to report civil rights issues will encourage more people to come forward when they need help. With these reports, we will continue to track all issues, seek accountability, and ensure all residents feel safe and welcome in the city of Medford."