On Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker joined state Rep. Russell Holmes in a show of support for legislation that would require certification for police in Massachusetts, a measure widely seen as bringing accountability to law enforcement.
That Baker is advancing certification, legislation Holmes has sought to advance unsuccessfully for the last six years, indicates a growing sense of urgency around police reform.
Taking a different tone, Holmes referred to the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus’ police reform legislation, including mandatory collection and sharing of data on police stops, special independent investigators for police shootings and the diversification of the state police force.
In addition to their meeting with Baker, Caucus members met with the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Policy Group, which represents some of the state’s largest police unions.
The legislators and union members reached agreements on several police reforms, including banning chokeholds, the standardization of training procedures and protocols across the state, training and guidelines around how to intervene when officers are engaging in misconduct and guidelines to ban use of excessive force.
