A local business owner is stopped and harassed and threatened by Keene police on 2013-10-18. Keene Cop Block‘s Ian Freeman is nearby and responds with his video camera. The man is happy for the scene to be recorded so Ian gets in the passenger side of the car!
The write-up below was made by Jason Talley to FreeKeene.com on Oct. 19, 2013. It is shared here in an effort to further crowdsource the information sought – specifically, the identification of the individuals who surveilled those present at Keene’s Pumpkin Fest.
Far from being a rowdy event, the Pumpkin Fest has long been a place for folks from Keene and the region to come together to mark the change of seasons. The presence of snipers – the first time such people have been witnessed at the peaceful gathering – should be disconcerting to anyone not a fan of a militarized Keene.
Recall in early 2012, when Keene police employee Ken Meola and his colleagues atop the corporation called the “City of Keene” ignored those they claim to represent, and from who they steal money to pay their own salaries, and pushed-through the acquisition of the Bearcat, they cited as one potential use the Pumpkin Fest.
The police state apparatus seen at Keene Pumpkin Fest part of a trend – if it’s not questioned it will continue. The inertia built-in to the institutions that today claim to exist to provide security and protection, but in reality grow in size and scope, do so only at an inverse relationship to justice, liberty, and peace.
Continuing our investigation into issues with Matt Griffin that you can see here…
On the night of September 20, 2013 at roughly 11:13pm, myself and Centurion were standing outside of a party at 107 Wilson St anticipating a noise complaint call. Two minutes later there was a call that came over the radio that a “neighbor” called in and said there were parties happening on both sides of her home. We later found out that the call was from someone inside the house. As soon as the call came in over the radio Centurion went across the street to inform the party that he heard the call and that the cops were on their way. 15 seconds later Matt Griffin (Badge #182) showed up and started talking with people on the porch. Two minutes later Matthew Bomberg (Badge #203) arrived and the two of them started clearing out people from the side and back yards.
(more…)
The following was submitted by Centurion and is part of an on going investigation
On Sept 5th at around 11pm there was a alleged 911 hang up call at 15 Blake Street, Keene, NH, Unknown apt#. Officer Griffin supposedly responded to this bogus call.
From KPD Call Log: 13-22428 2121 Phone – 911 HANG-UP CALLS Arrest(s) Made
Call Taker: 213 – Pomerleau, Marsha
Primary Id: 182 – Griffin, Matthew
Call Closed By: 147 – Milton, Christopher 09/05/2013 2319
Call Modified By: 147 – Milton, Christopher
Location/Address: [KEE 912] 15 BLAKE ST – 15 BLAKE ST Apt. #A/B
Jurisdiction: KEENE
ID: 176 – Thompson, Jason
Disp-21:22:53 Enrt-21:23:11 Arvd-21:27:41 Clrd-23:18:56
Arrived By: 176 – Thompson, Jason
Cleared By: 147 – Milton, Christopher
ID: 174 – Nugent, Benjamin
Disp-21:23:05 Enrt-21:23:08 Clrd-21:23:34
ID: 182 – Griffin, Matthew
Disp-21:23:38 Enrt-21:23:40 Arvd-21:25:18 Clrd-23:18:58
Cleared By: 147 – Milton, Christopher
The Keene Police Department website has a page “Professional Ethics” that lists statements police employees allegedly seek to uphold, including:
It is my responsibility to keep the community informed on local government affairs, encourage communication between the citizens and all local government officers, emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public, and seek to improve the quality and image of public service.
Communication is key.
While I applaud those at the Keene police department for sharing the names and phone extension of current employees, I recognize that a lot of people might prefer to communicate via email. So, on July 31, 2013 I solicited that information in the form of a 91A request (what a Freedom of Information Act request is referred to here in the ‘shire).
screenshot from “KPD Employees” page showing addition of email addresses
A couple of days later I received a response from Bill Dow, the deputy clerk/records manager for the “City of Keene,” which noted me that my request had been received, that Dow would “commence collecting the information requested at the earliest possible opportunity,” and would soon be in touch.
A few weeks later – on August 20th – Dow wrote again and noted [see below] that an existing list of the email addresses for Keene police employees did not exist. However, Dow did give an overview of the standard email protocol used for employees of the “City of Keene” (first initial + last name + “ci.keene.nh.us”). He also indicated how email addresses are assigned when the same first initial and last name exists (the middle initial is then included), as is the case for two current Keene police employees.
With that knowledge, I updated the “KPD Employees” page here at KeeneCopBlock.org. Hopefully that will prove to be a good resource for those who wish to communicate directly with individuals who now take a paycheck under the auspices of serving and protecting [note that despite such claims, courts have repeated ruled that police have no duty to protect the individual].
Hopefully the addition of that new info makes police “chief” Kenny Meola happy as it parallels the statement on the page “Police Chief Welcome” on which he calls transparency “essential.”
Keene Police Employee Email Addresses 91a