Opinion ID: 551278
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Good Cop.

Text: 4 In Boston, the city's transportation department (DOT) oversees privately owned parking lots. Under DOT regulations, a license is required for each lot. The license fixes a maximum number of vehicles which may park in the lot at one time; exceeding the authorized capacity is punishable by fine or loss of license. All Boston police officers are required to report violations of DOT regulations, including lot overcrowding. 1 They are also empowered to swear out complaints in municipal or state courts with respect to such infractions. 5 In a similar vein, Boston has a Licensing Board (Board) that regulates the serving of alcoholic beverages, licenses vendors, and enforces the laws governing, inter alia, liquor service, illegal conduct on licensed premises (e.g., gaming, prostitution), and occupancy limits in such establishments. Here, too, if the regulations are transgressed, the Board has the authority to impose severe sanctions, including license revocation. Boston police officers, as agents of the Board, are responsible for ensuring that licensees comply with the conditions of licensure and for reporting violations. 6 The BPD's regulations explicitly prohibit police officers from (1) accepting gifts from persons or businesses with whom they have official dealings; (2) soliciting or accepting any gift or gratuity (including food or drink) for themselves or others from an individual or business when doing so could reasonably be construed to involve the officers' status as employees of the BPD; (3) failing to report to their commanding officer attempts to offer such gifts or gratuities; and (4) doing special favors by participating in situations requiring police intervention that involve friends or relatives, absent an emergency. 2 Similarly, the regulations bar officers from disclosing arrest and conviction records to unauthorized persons and from working private security details without proper intra-departmental permission. 3 7