The deadline to submit RFQ applications was Friday, June 10, 2022. The city of Springfield and DOJ received four RFQ applications. Those submitting an RFP application are: Transparency Matters, LLC; O’Toole Associates, LLC; Gomez Oversight Group; and Andrew Lah and Perry Tarrant.
Per the DOJ, the four RFQ applications for the compliance evaluator are now posted on the city of Springfield’s Law Department website at: www.springfield-ma.gov/cos/law/request-for-qualifications-for-compliance-evaluator
Interested parties are encouraged to review the applications and submit their public comments before the deadline of June 24, 2022.
Mayor Sarno states, “In the name of full transparency, I want to encourage our residents and those interested groups to review these submitted Compliance Evaluator applications and submit any feedback and comments. The city and DOJ will jointly review the RFQ applications and select an applicant of the highest ethics, standards and expertise in law enforcement and demonstrate a commitment and capacity to ensure constitutional policing. I want to thank these four entities for submitting their applications and my city’s internal review team is looking forward to reviewing these applications with the DOJ.”
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the City of Springfield, Springfield Police Department and DOJ will jointly select an independent compliance evaluator, who will serve as an agent of the Court, and who will assess and report whether the requirements of the agreement have been implemented and whether this implementation is resulting in constitutional and effective policing. The compliance evaluator will work with both the City of Springfield and DOJ to identify and address any barriers to compliance and provide technical assistance to the Springfield Police Department (SPD) to overcome those barriers. The compliance evaluator will not, nor is it intended to, replace or assume the role and duties of any SPD employee, including the Board of Police Commissioners or the Police Superintendent or any other city official.
The role of the compliance evaluator is expressly limited to assessing and reporting on the implementation of this agreement, and it is not the role of the compliance evaluator to change either the scope or the terms of the agreement.