Evaluating Massachusetts' Police Reforms

• In Event: Responses to Police Misconduct: Promises and Pitfalls

Abstract

In 2020, the state of Massachusetts signed into law Chapter 253, an overhaul of police oversight and misconduct law. It banned certain types of use of force, namely chokeholds, and created the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. The POST Commission, despite existing in other states, remains unique in Massachusetts as it can mandate data from departments, open independent investigations, receive complaints directly, decertify officers, and set hiring and training standards. Using data from departments in Massachusetts, we examine whether or not the prevalence of misconduct (vis a vis use of force and citizen complaints) has responded to the passage and implementation of the law.

Author

• Sean Michael Perry, University of Massachusetts Lowell