HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3948        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr., (BY REQUEST)

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to improve police training.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3948        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act to improve police training.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Add a new section 116L to Chapter 6 of the General Laws and amend section 4 of Chapter 211D:

Insert a new Section 116L: Municipal police training committee; basic and in-service training programs on Civil Rights; to Chapter 6 as follows:

Section 116L. (a) The municipal police training committee shall establish, within its recruit basic training curriculum and its in-service training curriculum available to in-service trainees, a course for police training schools, academies and programs for the training of law enforcement officers on civil rights, presented by the Committee for Public Counsel Services, or its designees. Recruit Basic Training shall include at least eight (8) hours of in-person instruction. In-service training shall include at least four (4) hours of in-person training annually. The Committee for Public Counsel Services, or its designees, shall teach law enforcement officers how to: (i) stop and identify persons according to current law; (ii)search or seize persons and their property according to current law; and (iii) conduct electronic searches under current law; and (iv) recognize clearly established federal law as it applies to qualified immunity under federal civil rights laws.

(b) All law enforcement officers shall annually attend and successfully complete a course conducted by the Committee for Public Counsel Services on civil rights.

Amend Chapter 211D, section 4, by the addition of the following new paragraph, after the first paragraph:

The committee shall establish standards, guidelines, and annually develop training for law enforcement officers pursuant to Chapter 6, section 116L. This training will be conducted in- person by counsel appointed by the committee.