MA Lawmakers Agree on Police Reform Bill That Creates POST, Bans Chokeholds
Lawmakers in Massachusetts are set to vote on a police reform bill that would make some of the biggest changes in years to law enforcement oversight and rules in the state.
Lawmakers in Massachusetts are set to vote on a police reform bill that would make some of the biggest changes in years to law enforcement oversight and rules in the state. If approved, the legislation would head to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk to be signed into law.
In a press conference Tuesday, Baker said his office is still reviewing the bill, but praised lawmakers for making the compromise a priority in this legislative session, WBUR reports.
If the bill becomes law, it will among other things:
* Create a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission. Massachusetts POST will develop and implement training standards for all officers in Massachusetts and have the power to investigate misconduct independently. The bill stipulates only three members of the nine-member commission can be from law enforcement, including a current police chief appointed by the governor.
* Change qualified immunity. If a police officer is decertified by the state, he or she loses immunity.
* Ban facial recognition, except by the state's registry of motor vehicles (RMV). Law enforcement could get a warrant to have the RMV run a facial recognition search.
* Creates stronger use-of-force policies and rules for less-lethal weapons. The bill bans chokeholds entirely, restricts officers from firing into a fleeing motor vehicle unless there’s a risk of imminent harm and creates rules around the use of tear gas, dogs and rubber bullets.
* Investigate structural racism. Three special legislative commissions will look at institutional racism in jails and prisons, probation and parole. They’ll investigate disparities in the treatment of people of color and whether structural racism is the cause, and recommend changes.
More Procedures & Policies

No Waiting: Detective Busts Missing Persons Myth
Detective David Lee Stephens wants the public and every law enforcement agency to know there is no truth nor logic to the widely held belief that one must wait 24 or 48 hours to report a missing person.
Read More →Trump Issues Executive Order He Says Will Help Police Fight Crime
“My Administration is steadfastly committed to empowering State and local law enforcement to firmly police dangerous criminal behavior and protect innocent citizens,” Trump said.
Read More →NYPD Restricts Vehicle Pursuits to Suspects Wanted for Serious Crimes
The revamped policy, which takes effect Feb. 1, bars police from pursuing suspects for traffic infractions, violations or non-violent misdemeanors, police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Read More →NYPD Going “Old School” with Uniform, Facial Hair Policy
“It’s absolutely ludicrous that you have an officer with pink hair and nails longer than their fingers,” one Manhattan officer said. “We’re a police department not a hip hop department. Let’s go back to being police officers.”
Read More →AZ POST Considers Revision to Marijuana Rules for Recruits
“My recommendation for your consideration is we go for a six-month window,” said Matt Giordano, executive director. “We would go to six months of the last use.
Read More →
Time to Change Our Pursuit Policies
Complicated guidelines that require officers to make decisions during the heat of the moment are not working.
Read More →Baltimore Police Complying with Key Consent Decree Requirements, DOJ Says
If the court grants the motion, BPD must maintain compliance with the provisions for one year before the court can terminate these sections of the consent decree.
Read More →
Study Finds Consent Decrees Onerous, Ineffective, and Often Harmful
The report concludes: “When a consent decree is truly warranted, it must focus on the most urgent concerns. The violations should be clearly identified and fully supported by rigorous evidence."
Read More →DOJ and Consent Decree Monitor Praise Albuquerque PD for Reforms
Monitors tracking civilian oversight, one of the largest remaining roadblocks in reaching full compliance, called it “a mess” that was being cleaned up, and advocates applauded the work done by the department to come so far, so fast.
Read More →
Portland Loosens Restrictions on Vehicle Pursuits
“We have seen a significant propensity for criminal suspects to elude traffic stops, often driving extremely dangerously despite no officers chasing them,” the Bureau said in a statement.
Read More →