The Boston City Council voted on Wednesday to request an inventory of the Boston Police Department’s “militarized” equipment like armored personnel carriers, sniper rifles, grenade launchers and "other weapons of war."
The order, which passed unanimously without debate, also asked Mayor Marty Walsh to provide a breakdown of the methods, dates and cost of aquisition for the equipment. It also called for “a complete breakdown” of the results from Internal Affairs Division investigations into use-of-force and behavior complaints since 2010.
“We’re in a moment where Boston, like cities across the country, should be examining every part of our laws, institutions and budget to ensure that we’re dismantling systemic racism,” at-large Councilor Michelle Wu, who filed the order, told WGBH News. “And in what we’ve seen at demonstrations across the country, the militarization of police is a significant danger to residents and particularly residents of color.
“We just need to have a baseline of what we are talking about when it comes to equipment and weapons and vehicles as well as tactics and how all of the above has been deployed over the years,” she added.
The order also solicited records of communications on the use of crowd-control equipment — including tear gas and rubber bullets — while monitoring the public demonstrations since May 25.
Walsh's office said they would review the order. The Boston Police Department and Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association have not returned requests for comment.
Wu said that the inventory is only the beginning of police reform in Boston.
"Once we know where we're starting from, in terms of the specifics, than it's a clear set of next steps for how we change that," she said. "Obviously there are many more pieces to it ... but all of this has to be done."
In addition, the council’s order asks for disciplinary records and actions being taken under consideration for all potential breaches of protocol since May 25.
Boston Police told WGBH News over 70 people have been arrested over the course of the protests and seven police officers have been treated and released for injuries related to the May 30 protest.
The council’s order also asks for all records going back to 2010 for all records, including body cam footage, from no-knock warrants as well as a demographic breakdown of who the warrants were against and the underlying crimes under investigation.
