The Martha s Vineyard Times
Police reform act becomes law
Gov. Baker signs, after legislative adjustments are made.
Local activist Lisette Williams, left, Edgartown Police Chief Bruce McNamee, center, and local activist Eugene Langston-Jemison at a protest in front of the Dukes County Courthouse. Lucas Thors
A new act governing Massachusetts police has been signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker. The governor sent the first draft of the act presented to him back to the legislature over disagreements about law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology, and the oversight of a committee charged with policing the police.
The most significant element of the act is the formation of a special commission to oversee standards for police officers, to be known as the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. It will be an independent state agency that, according to State House News Service, will “establish policing standards, certify law enfo
By Colin A. Young, State House News Service
January 7, 2021
Colin A. Young, State House News Service
As the year and legislative session came to a close, Gov. Baker last week signed into law legislation creating a police accountability and oversight system under which officers need to be certified every three years and can lose their certification for violating to-be-developed policing standards.
As the country reacted to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers this summer, policing reform was catapulted to the top of Beacon Hill’s priority list and lawmakers set out on what would become a complicated, circuitous and, at times, controversial path to address police violence and some of the disproportionate impacts communities of color experience from law enforcement, and to bolster the state’s oversight of police officers.
Worcester Public Schools teachers with COVID health concerns seeking accommodations ahead of hybrid learning, discrimination complaint filed
Updated Jan 03, 2021;
Dennis Staples, who teaches automotive technology at Worcester Technical High School, has been watching coronavirus case counts remain high in Massachusetts this winter.
Staples is among educators in Worcester who are looking for accommodations as the start date for hybrid learning approaches this month. Because of a breathing disorder, Staples said he’s worried about contracting the virus in the classroom, where students and teachers historically work closely together.
“It is physically impossible to social distance in a shop setting because of the tools, the equipment,” Staples said. “We work basically hand-to-hand with the students, so the 6-feet thing is not going to work.”
Massachusetts Gov Baker Signs Landmark Policing Reform Law nepm.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nepm.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Colin A. Young, State House News Service
As the year and legislative session come to a close, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday signed into law legislation creating a police accountability and oversight system under which officers need to be certified every three years and can lose their certification for violating to-be-developed policing standards.
As the country reacted to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers this summer, policing reform was catapulted to the top of Beacon Hill s priority list and lawmakers set out on what would become a complicated, circuitous and, at times, controversial path to address police violence and some of the disproportionate impacts communities of color experience from law enforcement, and to bolster the state s oversight of police officers.