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Police commission says DOJ oversight language near final; schedules November training
Summary
At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Springfield Board of Police Commissioners said language in an oversight-improvement agreement under mediation with the U.S. Department of Justice is largely resolved. Commissioners set a Nov. 20 training that overlaps a city "blue light" event and reviewed the 2026 meeting calendar.
The Springfield Board of Police Commissioners said on Nov. 12 that most language in an oversight-improvement agreement being mediated with the U.S. Department of Justice is resolved and should be filed soon, while also confirming an upcoming training that conflicts with a city event.
Attorney Bonacone told the board the office "met with the mediator a couple weeks ago" and added: "We're pretty confident that most of the language is resolved. There's a few minor issues that we just wanted to work through with the police department. But we should be prepared to be filed on that very shortly." The comment came during a discussion of oversight improvements the board has been negotiating with the DOJ.
Separately, commissioners discussed a training session scheduled for Nov. 20, 2025, noting it overlaps the city’s "blue light" event. Members said the blue light activities were expected at about 4:00–4:30 p.m., with police training set for 6:00 p.m. "The training was supposed to be the same night," one commissioner said while the group agreed to confirm the training location and check with the city attorney about remote/phone participation if needed.
The board also reviewed a draft calendar for 2026, discussing an annual meeting proposed for March 11, 2026, and noting Veterans Day (Nov. 11) will require a date change next year. A commissioner proposed canceling the Dec. 10, 2025 meeting unless an emergency hearing arises; members said they could reconvene if necessary.
Votes at a glance: the board approved minutes from Oct. 8, 2025, during the meeting and subsequently voted to adjourn. Commissioners who recorded an affirmative response during the minutes vote include Commissioner Fernandez, Commissioner Jackson, Commissioner Fiena and Commissioner Shanfizi. The meeting concluded after a brief public visit from Tracy Carpenter of Senior Action Counsel and a short round of administrative items.
What’s next: Attorney Bonacone and staff said they will continue working through the remaining edits to the oversight-improvement draft and will confirm training logistics for Nov. 20.
