NOTE: This article appeared in the June 13, 2020 edition of Commonwealth Magazine and the June 6, 2020 edition of the Eagle-Tribune.
By:
Lane A. Glenn, President, Northern Essex Community College
Brian Kyes, Chief of Police, City of Chelsea and President, Massachusetts Major Cities Chiefs of Police
Paul Tucker, State Representative, 7th Essex District, and former City of Salem Chief of Police
Last week’s murder of George Floyd, a black man, handcuffed, on the ground, and in custody, at the hands of Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, was reprehensible and senselessly tragic.
It was also, as an open letter from the U.S. Major Cities Chiefs Association, signed by dozens of police chiefs from America’s largest cities declared, “by any measure of professional policing unnecessary, avoidable and criminal.”
The Massachusetts Police Chiefs have also made a similar declaration “strongly denouncing the egregious behavior exhibited by the Minneapolis police officers leading to the tragic death of George Floyd.”
As the nation, already struggling with one of the greatest healthcare and economic crises we have ever faced, has spent the days since George Floyd’s death grappling with our collective history of racism and injustice, otherwise peaceful protests in major cities across the country, including Boston, have turned into scenes of angry riots, violence, and destruction.
Nearly all of the protestors in those cities have been rightfully expressing their outrage and demanding change in non-violent ways, while an isolated group of destructive agitators have infiltrated the peaceful demonstrations to take advantage of their pain to burn, to steal, and to inflict harm.
The vast majority of police officers respect their careers, and take their oaths, as a higher calling to uphold the law, and to protect those they serve. They are dismayed and disappointed by those who violate those oaths, disregard the law, and cause harm themselves.
Police and protestors across the country are finding common ground: They all want to stop these senseless, avoidable, criminal acts from happening again.
There is more that we can not only say, but do, to get there; and for us, it begins with reforms in education, training, and public policy.
Education is the key to overcoming generational cycles of racism and poverty that still push African American, Latinx, and other communities of color to the margins of American society; and it is the key to improving the knowledge, behavior, and responses of police officers at critical moments.
Several national studies have demonstrated the value of postsecondary education for policing by showing that college educated police officers have better communication skills, a better comprehension of civil rights issues from multiple perspectives, receive fewer complaints and disciplinary actions, and are less likely to use deadly force, among other benefits.
While many departments, municipalities, or entire states have implemented increased educational requirements, or at least enhanced options for educational requirements, there is currently no statutory or regulatory minimum educational requirement for police officers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with the exception of communities whose officers are covered by Civil Service requirements of a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.
Higher education and law enforcement leaders have been working closely together to improve police education and training and move us in the right direction.
The Police Academy at Northern Essex Community College, launched in 2015 as a partnership with the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) and the police departments of Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, North Andover, and Amesbury, has become one of the largest municipal academies in the state, with a current class of nearly 90 cadets and over 400 graduates working in dozens of departments across the Commonwealth. In addition to receiving their necessary academy training, recruits can earn up to nine credits toward an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice at NECC.
The Police Certification Concentration at Fitchburg State University is a five-year program, also partnering with the MPTC, that allows students to earn a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice as well as certification to serve as a police officer in Massachusetts.
And in 2017, a group of police chiefs, educators, state and municipal leaders served on a special Massachusetts Department of Higher Education task force on Police Education and Training that developed a number of important recommendations—some of which have been implemented, while others still await action.
Here are some specific steps that elected officials, higher education, and law enforcement leaders can take, separately and together, to keep this momentum moving, to fight the scourges of racism and economic inequality, and ensure the most professional and capable police education and training possible:
- Colleges should examine every institutional policy and practice, especially recruitment, admissions, and financial aid, to ensure they are providing the widest possible access to higher education, especially for low income and minority applicants.
- Colleges should also rigorously examine data on outcomes like retention and graduation rates and close the gaps in student success, particularly between low income and minority students, and more affluent white students.
- Colleges, police departments, and agencies like the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee should work collaboratively to offer more training academies that are integrated with higher education opportunities, with a particular emphasis on recruiting people of color into careers in law enforcement.
- The legislature should pass, and Governor Baker should approve, House Bill 2146: A Bill Forming a Special Commission to Create a Statewide Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) System. Massachusetts is one of only six states that doesn’t license police officers under a common system, which can make it difficult to regulate training requirements as well as hiring standards.
- The legislature should pass, and Governor Baker should approve, House Bill 3810: An Act Relative to Police Education and Training, which would require a minimum of an associate’s degree in criminal justice or a related field, for all police officers in the Commonwealth.
Now is a time for caring and compassion, for peaceful demonstrating and for protesting against criminal behavior that we cannot tolerate for another day.
Most importantly, it is a time to take action so we never find ourselves in this place again.
