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Police chiefs support adding law‑enforcement councils to Massachusetts Tort Claims Act; attorneys warn civil‑rights change could increase litigation
Summary
Chiefs and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association urged the joint committee to add regional law‑enforcement councils (LECs) to the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act to reduce legal uncertainty and liability exposure for mutual‑aid collaboratives. The association also opposed changing the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act’s coercion threshold for
A panel representing municipal police chiefs asked the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to add law‑enforcement councils (regional mutual‑aid collaboratives) to the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act, saying the change would provide clearer coverage and reduce the risk of large judgments against councils that operate regionally.
Attorney Art Gasparapenis and several police chiefs described 44(j) mutual‑aid opt‑in arrangements and said courts currently treat councils inconsistently because of differences in structure or corporate form. They asked the committee to adopt language in S.11‑99 that would make coverage explicit and thereby reduce litigation uncertainty and…
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