u/TootTootUSA

>There are no more Hooters restaurants left in Massachusetts.

>Police chiefs in North Attleboro, Norwood and Quincy are all coming forward to support the network of automated cameras that record license plates and other vehicle information. They describe the system as a vital investigative tool.

>“Let me be perfectly clear about this system: It is not a surveillance tool,” McQuade told the Town Council earlier this week. “The North Attleboro Police Department does not use this system to watch the residents of North Attleboro … We do not use it to build case files on law-abiding citizens.”

>“Those plates that were not searched have been deleted from our system,” the chief said. “Only criminals or those who wish to shield them should have a fear of this tool.”

>Authorities say Sandwich, Massachusetts Police Officer Matthew Cotter is facing a drunk driving charge after a crash on Friday night when he was off-duty.

>A woman called police at about 9:30 p.m. to report that someone drove through her bushes and hit her parked car on Grand Oak Road in Forestdale. 

>Responding police officers identified the 44-year-old Cotter as the driver of a black BMW X5 that had heavy front-end damage. He was not hurt in the crash.

>Massachusetts State Police will have to disclose where license plate readers are in the state and submit to audits about when, where, and what data they’re collecting, a judge ruled this week. It’s a win for groups demanding transparency on how agencies are surveilling people.

>The ACLU contended in the case that as of June 7, 2023, there were more than 290 million records in the database which then allowed the state police to track particular vehicles and get alerts from license plates recorded as far back as 12 months.

>There are growing concerns for a U.S. Marine veteran from Lowell, Massachusetts, who is currently detained in Russia, after advocates allege he is on the brink of death because of years of physical and physiological torture that he has been subjected to in prison.

>Robert Gilman, 31, who was detained in 2022, has fallen into "a dissociative stupor," or a "catatonic state," according to Kieran Ramsey, Chief Investigative Officer for Global Reach, an advocacy organization representing his family that works to bring home those who are kidnapped or wrongfully detained abroad.

>"He's breaking down now, so our concern is that he may not make it out of this alive," Ramsey, who is a former assistant director for the FBI, told NewsCenter 5 on Sunday. "He has faced physical torture. He's faced mental torture, and now we are pleading with anybody we can get him a life-saving medical evacuation."

>Jonathan Paz’s job was to convince cities to buy Flock cameras. After initially being enthusiastic about the company, he started to get disillusioned.

Not affiliated with Paz or 404 media, but I figured this is appropriate here considering this guy's on the 5th District Democratic primary ballot.

There's also a longer form video of the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKYYpLC9u5I

Very interesting stuff.

>There were nine cases reported in Massachusetts in May, followed by 32 in June and 104 in July. Some Midwest states have reported more severe outbreaks, with more than 11,000 sickened and two dead in Michigan.

>"While Massachusetts is reporting more Cyclospora cases than in a typical season, case numbers remain within the state's historical range," DPH said.

>The department said there "is no evidence of large outbreaks in Massachusetts," but the Food and Drug Administration has indicated that some recalled Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products were sent to food service locations in the state.

It's Taylor Farms whose CEO spent a ton of money on food safety deregulation and has had many food safety violations recently.

>Opioid settlement funds are supposed to be used to mitigate the harm caused by the opioid epidemic, yet most Massachusetts communities haven't spent the money, and others have reported questionable purchases.

Since 2023, cities and towns received $115 million in these funds, but they've spent $19 million, less than 20% of what they've received. The money comes from settlements negotiated with drug companies, distributors, and retailers related to the opioid overdose crisis.

>The town of Plympton spent nearly $4,000 in opioid funds to paint a police van, tint the windows and add lettering.

>Plympton's police chief declined our request for an interview, but says the vehicle is used for "community outreach programs" including "overdose follow-up."

>The Framingham Police Department has decided not to renew its contract with Flock Safety, ending the city’s use of the company’s automated license plate reader camera system after months of public debate and resident advocacy.

>The city’s access to the Flock system will be shut off June 30, when the current contract expires, and the cameras will be decommissioned, Framingham Police Department Administrative Lt. Rachel Mickens said in a statement to Boston.com Wednesday.

>“We will continue to balance technology and public safety needs with transparency, accountability, and the privacy concerns of the community,” Mickens wrote. 

>The decision marks a significant victory for residents who spent months urging city officials to abandon the surveillance technology, arguing that it threatens privacy and civil liberties while lacking sufficient oversight, according to Kate Merritt-O’Toole, a member of Framingham Fights Back. The group is a community organization that describes itself as a place for Framingham residents to “organize and mobilize to protect democracy and our neighbors.”

>“We’ll take our wins where we can get them,” she said. “We’re happy that we’re going to have some more time to educate [officials] on how the technology is evolving and what a lot of these vendors are planning to do with this data.” 

Week or so old news, but just found out about this and didn't see it shared here. Fantastic news.

>The victim said she'd never met the person stalking her, but that they repeatedly messaged her saying, "I need you to love me and let me love you," prosecutors said. The stalker also obtained her personal phone number, her parents' phone numbers, her home address and the location of her school, she told officers.

>Screenshots shared with Boston police showed the stalker sending the victim messages such as "I told you to love me … now you're going to have to watch your back every time," prosecutors said. The stalker also sent the victim's parents messages such as "Hey tell your daughter. Her last days are coming for her…if she doesn't love me or I'll find her."

>At one point, the stalker created a social profile impersonating the victim to gather personal information about her from a friend, prosecutors said. The victim said she'd blocked more than 700 TikTok accounts and more than 200 Instagram accounts used by the stalker, but that the harassment was ongoing.