Daniel Medwed in The Daily Free Press: State Legislature creates police standards commission, bans chokeholds
he Massachusetts Legislature passed a police reform bill Tuesday banning chokeholds, allowing officers to report each other’s inappropriate or violent conduct and creating a state-level oversight committee.
The bill aims to create a statewide Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, comprised of civilians who represent the state population in regard to race and gender.The Senate voted 28-12 in favor of the bill, and the House voted 91-67 in favor in two formal sessions. The decision comes after more than four months of internal debate — the bill was first introduced in July.
The bill calls for more coordination between organizers of planned protests and law enforcement, mandating that police officers attempt to communicate with protestors if they are aware of a scheduled demonstration and plan de-escalation strategies in advance.