Needham Hires Boston Attorney To Investigate Racial Profiling

NEEDHAM, MA — Needham hired Boston attorney Natashia Tidwell as the independent investigator to review allegations of racial profiling from Needham police officers and Chief John Schlittler. The chief and three officers are being accused of racial profiling during an incident at a CVS in town in January.

Tidwell is a partner in the Litigation Group with Saul Ewing Arnstein and Lehr. Tidwell is a former federal prosecutor and a police officer whose background informs her work as a federal monitor. She is currently the lead monitor in Ferguson, Missouri, overseeing implementation of reforms to the city’s police department and municipal court in the wake of a Justice Department civil rights investigation.

The investigation comes after Marvin Henry was detained by Needham police in January for questioning relating to an alleged shoplifting incident at a CVS. Henry, a Black man who had been inside the CVS store during the alleged incident, was stopped and detained by officers outside the CVS. Henry's lawyer claims he was detained for more than half an hour as a suspected shoplifter and never read his Miranda rights or given an explanation as to why he was being detained.

Tidwell’s investigation will include examination of actions taken by the police officers involved including the initial response to the 911 call, the officers’ activities on scene and closure of the scene and any actions taken by the Needham Police Department with respect to the subsequent investigation of complaints stemming from the January 25, 2020 call for service.

Tidwell will also review the Department’s policies effective as of January 25, 2020 and determine if the actions taken by department personnel were consistent with those policies. The scope of the investigation also includes determining what role, if any, racial discrimination or implicit bias played in the officers’ actions and response to the incident and its aftermath.

Additionally, Tidwell will review Needham Police Department policies that relate to the incident and provide recommendations, where needed, as to the appropriateness, effectiveness, and sufficiency of each policy. Tidwell may also provide recommendations as to additional training or other steps the Department should consider improving its delivery of services, including to communities of color.

The investigation is expected to be complete this Fall. The results of Tidwell’s investigation will be published on the Town’s website.