New Bedford Police, Mayor respond to Boston Globe stories

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — The New Bedford Police Department alongside Mayor Jon Mitchell released statements aiming to refute a series of articles published by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team on alleged misconduct members of the department took part in.

Mitchell said that the articles were “materially incomplete and relies on the accounts of convicted criminals and others of dubious credibility.”

“Unfortunately, the paper also portrayed New Bedford in a way that reinforces dated stereotypes and betrays a lack of familiarity with a city that is not part of Greater Boston, much less an awareness of the comprehensive progress the city has made in recent years,” the mayor said.

He added that the city has seen a 58% decline in violent crime over the past decade.

In addition, the police department published a number of what it said were corrections to the Globe stories on its website, which can be viewed here.