SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - On Friday a federal judge will decide whether Springfield Police can be released from a years-long consent decree. Federal prosecutors and the city have filed a joint motion asking the court to terminate the settlement agreement.

The city is expected to make oral arguments and answer questions in front of a federal judge who will decide whether this consent decree ends or continues.

The Springfield Police Department’s consent decree was filed in federal court back in April of 2022, after a department of justice investigation was launched in 2018. This consent decree is a court order that requires police reforms and tracks progress. That investigation found alleged patterns of excessive force and poor record-keeping, particularly tied to the department’s former narcotics bureau.

The Department of Justice said the changes were meant to ensure officers use de-escalation to avoid force, when possible, know when force can and cannot be used, and report all instances where force is used. Along with stronger supervision and better internal investigations of misconduct complaints.

One of the cases that drew scrutiny dates back to 2016, former Springfield Narcotics Officer, Gregg Bigda, was accused of punching and kicking three Latino juvenile suspects, falsifying police reports, and using abusive interrogation tactics. Video from that interrogation later went viral, drawing in national attention.

Bigda was charged in federal court and suspended from the department. Another officer was charged alongside Bigda, though his excessive force charges were later dropped. Since the decree went into effect, Springfield Police said they’ve made significant changes, including rolling out body-worn cameras and updating taser policies.

The Narcotics Bureau has also been shut down and replaced with a gun unit.

A court-appointed compliance evaluator team has also tracked the department’s progress through regular reviews of policies, training, supervision, and data.

In its final report filed this April, the evaluators saying in part: “SPD has not only met the material requirements of the Agreement but has also achieved sustained and continuing improvement in key areas of constitutional policing.”

That hearing is set for tomorrow afternoon at the federal courthouse in Springfield.