Residents are being asked to provide community feedback during listening sessions of the Boston Police Reform Task Force starting July 22. The gathered input will be used to review the BPD's policies, practices, and to recommend reform measures.
Residents are being asked to share their experiences on any of the four topics that are being covered:
- The Body Worn Camera Program: Wednesday, July 22, 3-5 pm
- Implicit bias training: Thursday, July 23, 3-5 pm
- Strengthening Boston's existing police review board, known as the Co-op Board: Wednesday, July 29, 3-5 pm
- Reviewing the use of force policies: Thursday, July 30, 3-5 pm
Testimony can also be submitted in any language either written or via the WebEx listening sessions. Written testimony can also be submitted before or after the listening sessions by emailing BPDTaskforce@boston.gov. You can also learn more information on how to participate at boston.gov/ending-racism.
The Task Force will submit their initial recommendations by August 14, 2020. There will be a two-week public comment period before the final recommendations are submitted to the mayor no later than September 14, 2020.
"We're going to provide opportunities for robust public input and community leadership in our work to advance racial justice in Boston," said Mayor Marty Walsh. "I've pledged to continue the conversation on racism as a city -- not in a top-down manner, but by centering the voices of the Black and Brown communities who have been the most severely impacted. That is the purpose of the Boston Police Reform Task Force that we have appointed."
The BPD has already started reviewing their use of force policies and procedures. They implemented recommendations by 8 Can't Wait and the Ethical Policing is Courageous (EPIC) Peer Intervention Program into their existing rules.
The Boston Police Reform Task Force is composed of members from the community, law enforcement, advocacy organizations, and the legal profession.
Members of the Boston Police Task Force include: Chairman Wayne Budd, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Allison Cartwright, Attorney in Charge at the Roxbury Public Defender's Office; Joseph D. Feaster, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts; Tanisha Sullivan, President of the NAACP Boston Branch; Darrin Howell, President of DRIVE Boston Community Resources Inc. & Political Coordinator for 1199SEIU; Boston Police Superintendent Dennis White, Chief of Staff; Marie St. Fleur, former Massachusetts State Representative; Rev. Jeffrey Brown, Associate Pastor at the Historic Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury; Boston Police Sergeant Eddy Chrispin, President of the MA Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers, Inc.; Javier Flores, Partner at Dinsmore & Shohl, LLPand Jamarhl Crawford, Boston resident.