Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Tuesday that the police reform task force he created will hold a series of public hearings over the next few weeks to take input from the community on hot-button issues such as use-of-force policies and the deployment of body cameras.
Walsh announced the creation of the Boston Police Reform Task Force in June as he declared racism a public health crisis in Boston, with a promise to take action on anything the task force proposed.
He said Tuesday that the task force had initially planned to issue its report within 60 days of its launch and then take public comment, but that the group has decided to take public comment before issuing a final report.
“Starting next week the task force will be holding online listening sessions on key issues, where residents will have the opportunity to share their experiences and their beliefs and their suggestions,” Walsh said.
The first session, which will cover police body cameras, will be Wednesday July 22 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. In Boston, almost all patrol officers have their own camera and the training to use them, but they also have the discretion to turn off the cameras and are not required to wear them when working overtime.
The following day the task force will hold a session on implicit bias training for police. On July 29, the task force will hear public comment on civilian oversight, and the July 30 session will focus on the police department’s use-of-force policies.
Walsh said the city will provide information for where people can sign up to testify or submit written testimony.
Putting public comment first may slow the proceedings of the task force, Walsh said, but he still expects to get a final report from the task force in the “60-90 day window” from its launch, which would be before the middle of September.
Walsh declined to comment on the specifics of a police reform bill passed by the state senate overnight Monday, noting that the city had not been consulted on its contents. But he said he looks forward to working with the House on the details and added, “certainly there is no question that ... there is need for reforms in policing.”
Walsh also announced that because coronavirus infections have slowed, the city will be reinstating its ban on plastic shopping bags.
Gov. Charlie Baker issued an order in March prohibiting grocery stores from filling customers’ reusable bags, and Boston suspended its ban on single-use plastic shopping bags. Baker rescinded his order last week, and Walsh said Tuesday the ban on single use plastic bags — and the 5-cent fee on paper bags — will resume October 1, giving retailers time to use up the bags they have in stock.
