Mayor Marty Walsh announced Tuesday that he will accept all final recommendations of the Boston Police Task Force, appointed by Walsh in June, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, to review police practices and policies and to recommend reforms.
Walsh called the steps contained in the final recommendations — largely the same as those presented in a preliminary report — “bold” and “aggressive” measures that will make the BPD a national model of proactive police reform.
The recommendations include creating a new police oversight board with the power to investigate allegations of police misconduct and with the power to subpoena evidence and witnesses to support those investigations.
The mayor also announced his intention to submit a home rule petition to Boston City Council which, if sent to Beacon Hill and approved by the state legislature, would amend the city’s civil service apparatus to give Boston public and private school students preference in applying for jobs within the police department.
Task force chairman and former U.S. Prosecutor Wayne Budd thanked his fellow task force members for their work over the summer and the resulting report.
“Despite frequent, vigorous debates, our work was accomplished while maintaining respect and regard for one another,” Budd said.
“And in spite of the various obstacles encountered, we were able to reach consensus on the issues that came up with an excellent set of well-documented recommendations of which we can be — we can all be — justifiably proud,” Budd said.
Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, the first Black person to hold that position, also praised the task force’s work.
“What you see before you are proud representatives of the community [from] a U.S. attorney to a community activist,” Gross said, referring to task force member Jamarhl Crawford, a frequent critic of, and advocate for reforms to, the BPD.
Gross said he too supports all of the task force recommendations.
It is not entirely clear what it will take to make those recommendations official policy — especially given ongoing negotiations with the Boston Patrolmen’s Association and the union’s historic resistance to major changes around policies affecting officers.
Walsh said he has directed his administration to use “every tool at my disposal” to implement the recommendations, which Walsh said represent the BPD’s successes and not failures.
“We are in a position to take these steps because we have the best and most trusted Police department in the nation,” Walsh said.
“Boston will offer a model of how to come together and move forward in achieving racial justice in our country.”
Walsh has tapped Karilyn Crockett, appointed by Walsh this summer as the city’s first Chief of Equity, praised the task force’s work as well, noting that the recommendations are the result as well of decades of activism and advocacy around police accountability.
Crockett said she is dedicated to seeing the recommendations implemented, but that the work of ending racism in Boston is far from over.
“Today is just the next chapter on this journey,” Crockett said.
