Police mostly behind Baker’s bill overhauling police transparency, accountability

Gov. Charlie Baker’s much-anticipated bill to increase police oversight and accountability would ban chokeholds and create a system to certify officers — a first for Massachusetts.

“The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers made clear that now is the time to get this done,” Baker said, announcing details of the bill from the State House and flanked by members of the Black and Latino Caucus.

Baker added: “There are no easy answers, and improving our law enforcement is only one piece of this process, but I think we’ve put together a solid set of reforms that everyone, including the law enforcement community and the folks who are here with us today, can work on to advance this bill together.”

Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states nationwide that does not have a certification system for police.

Baker’s three-point bill creates a certification system for officers based on standardized training that will be renewed every three years. It forms a public database that will catalog training and conduct records of officers and it creates a mechanism to decertify police who use excessive force or who fail to intervene when other officers do.

Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes, legislative director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, backed the legislation saying it would help to restore the public’s trust in policing

“It brings transparency accountability. It enhances, in a positive way, the reputation and integrity levels that police need in order to do their jobs effectively,” Kyes said.

The Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement voiced “full support” for efforts to establish a state oversight panel but called for a study commission to be the first step.

“While reform is urgent, inclusiveness and transparency are absolutely essential for any credible effort,” the group said.

The bill is a result of “many months” of discussions with the state’s Black and Latino Caucus, he said.

“We have been shouting, absolutely screaming into the wilderness and for so long this bill sat,” said Rep. Russell Holmes of the Black and Latino Caucus.

The calls for greater accountability among police officers have been reverberating through the halls of the State House for the better part of a decade but have recently gained traction amid widespread protests against police brutality and excessive force since the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.

With 45 days left in the current legislative session, Baker signaled his support for the legislation as it heads to the halls of the House and Senate, saying it is “critically” important the bill lands on his desk before July 31.

Holmes echoed the words of Boston police reform activist Jamarhl Crawford who during a Tuesday round-table discussion said “there is no one silver bullet or pills for police reform in Massachusetts.”

Baker says police reform will not be achieve by this one single bill, but it’s a start.

“We have much work left to do,” Baker said.

Administration of the certification would be the task of a new, “Police Officer Standards and Accreditation (POSA) Committee, including members from both law enforcement and civilians. The legislation would require that at least half of the committee would be persons of color,” according to Baker’s office.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3dceTZB