FPD and the Mayor's reforms... sadly Steven Trask is retiring

The Mayor has gotten on the band wagon and adopted common sense reforms in light of all the racist behavior among some cops in this country.  It all makes sense, but does not ban no knock warrants. 

In another sad moment in this Town's history right now is that Chief Trask is suddenly retiring next week. My uneducated guess is that it was not planned and all the good he did to get the bad apples to do their jobs may be lost with another Chief.

MAYOR YVONNE M. SPICER, WITH CHIEF OF POLICE STEVEN D. TRASK


A JOINT ORDER TO REVIEW AND ADOPT COMMON SENSE REFORMS TO THE


USE OF FORCE POLICIES OF THE FRAMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT

ORDER NO. E02020-005

WHEREAS, the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud
Arbery, and the many Black lives before them lost due to police violence and
systemic racism within law enforcement and society in general, have caused outrage
and anguish throughout the United States as well as in the Framingham community;
and
WHEREAS, more than 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America, and
Black people are three times more likely to be killed than other racial groups; and
WHEREAS, the City of Framingham and the Framingham Police Department are
committed to policies and practices which respect the inherent life, liberty, dignity,
and worth of all individuals by preserving human life, and minimizing physical harm
and the reliance on Use of Force; and
WHEREAS, current events and ensuing public demonstrations across the country
have brought police reform to the forefront, specifically the need for review and
reform of Use of Force policies of police departments; and
WHEREAS, many have called for Campaign Zero's "8 Can't Wait" recommended
reforms, including President Barack Obama in a recent address to the nation, as
outlined in his 21St Century Policing Task Force Report; and
WHEREAS, the command staff and officers of the Framingham Police Department
have shown a deep professional commitment and belief in best practices in police
work to negate the need for Use of Force, but continued diligence and a proactive,
common sense approach to limits on police Use of Force are needed to maintain
public trust in our law enforcement officers, ensure accountability and transparency,
and to continue to heal our community;
Now, therefore, pursuant to our authority under Article III, Section 2 of the
Framingham Home Rule Charter as to the Mayor and under G.L. c. 41, s. 97A as to
the Chief of Police, we hereby order the following (some of which already are in place
but which are reiterated here for purposes of completeness and clarity):

CITY OF FRAMINGHAM

The Framingham Police Department shall require officers to de-escalate
situations, where possible, by communicating with subjects, maintaining distance,
and otherwise, with the goal of eliminating the need to use force whenever
possible,
2. The Framingham Police Department shall establish and maintain a system which
restricts the most severe levels of force to the most extreme situations and
creates clear policy restrictions on the use of each police weapon and tactic.
3. The Framingham Police Department shall prohibit the use of chokeholds and
strangleholds, including carotid restraints, except where deadly force is authorized
and there is no alternative.
4. The Framingham Police Department shall require its officers to give verbal
warnings in all situations where possible before using deadly force.
5. The Framingham Police Department shall prohibit officers from shooting at people
in moving vehicles unless the person poses a deadly threat by means other than
the vehicle (for example, shooting at people from the vehicle).
6. The Framingham Police Department shall require any police officer to exhaust all
other alternatives, including non-force and less lethal force options, prior to
resorting to deadly force.
7. The Framingham Police Department shall require officers to intervene and stop
excessive force used by other officers and to immediately report these incidents to
a supervisor.
8. The Framingham Police Department shall require comprehensive reporting from
all members of the Department each time they use force or threaten to use force
against civilians, including requiring officers to report whenever they point a
firearm at someone, in addition to all other types of force.
9. The Chief of Police shall undertake and complete a review of the existing Use of
Force and related policies within the Framingham Police Department within 60
days of the issuance of this order for additional recommendations for new policies
and revisions to existing policies consistent with this order. Said review shall
include engagement with the Framingham community via public meetings and
with the members of the Framingham Police Department to obtain a diverse range
of input, experiences and stories, and the findings of the review shall be shared
with the community for additional feedback. The review shall specifically include
an evaluation of recommendations for the promotion of safety and equity identified
by the Framingham Police Officers Union in its June 8, 2020 correspondence with
the Mayor and the Chief of Police, including a potential expansion of the Jail
Diversion Program, the potential creation of Behavioral Health and Neighborhood
outreach Units in the Department, and the incorporation of reality-based trainings
on de-escalation, racial bias and the Use of Farce in the Department's regular
training programs. The Department will present the results of its review to the
pubic.