A bill was engrossed by the House in July to improve policing in Massachusetts by establishing a certification process, creating an independent and empowered oversight board, and codifying restrictions on use of force measures. The bill establishes the Massachusetts Police Standards and Training Commission, a seven-person board charged with the responsibility to certify, restrict, and, following due process, revoke and suspend certification for police officers. It also forms the Division of Training and Certification, comprised of 6 police chiefs, the Colonel of the State Police, the Boston Police Commissioner, 2 sheriffs, one police officer appointed by the governor, and one person selected by the Secretary of Public Safety and Security, to devise appropriate training and certification standards for police.
In addition, the bill establishes restrictions on the use of force, sets Massachusetts on a path for reform that includes investigation of the civil service system and structural racism. The legislation also creates commissions and task forces on the following issues: law enforcement body cameras, the status of African Americans, the status of Latinos, statewide law enforcement officer cadet program, and corrections officer training and certification. The bill removes qualified immunity for those police officers who are decertified by the commission after due process and continues to study qualified immunity more broadly. It adds limits to facial recognition, creates a process around the use and training of School Resource Officers and limits on student record sharing by schools. Finally, the bill prohibits officers from having sexual intercourse with a person in custody and creates strong penalties for such conduct, makes it a crime for an officer to submit a false timesheet, and prohibits no-knock warrants.