The Massachusetts legislature is currently considering a 'cop accountability' bill that would make changes to qualified immunity for law enforcement in the region. The bill is currently in the final stage of negotiations

Creating an 'Independent Massachusetts Police Standards and Training Commission'

The new bill would create a police standards commission that would ultimately be responsible for licensing police in the region on a multi-year basis, every three years.

This means that members of that commission would be able to decertify an officer from working in that industry essentially, if they are caught engaging in misconduct, convicted of a felony, using excessive force, or get caught submitting false time sheets and engaging in employment wrongdoing etc.

If it is successfully passed then they would be in uncharted legal waters.

House leaders have been getting hundreds of e-mails from people on both sides of the issue, either asking them to push forward or oppose the bill.

Originally, the bill was passed by a 30-7 vote but there was disagreement from representatives from both sides. Those against the changes say that they shouldn't be 'so quick' to do anything about the current issue, but as each day passes there are abusers that go un-checked in a system that perperuates misconduct by providing arguably unquestioning immunity protection for wrongdoers in too many cases.

Massachusetts isn't immune to this problem and something needs to be done about it.

Lawmakers have already missed the deadline they set to enacting that bill which they had planned to do by the end of July.

Activists are still going strong in pushing for change around the region. It will be less than 10 people who are negotiating and making the decision on whether or not this bill gets passed, their choice impacts many thousands.

Some say that the new push for accountability is going to make it harder to recruit for the position. But if an individual is put off from that employment position because there is a need for accountability, which there always should have been, then they might not be fit for the job. Better to go elsewhere and leave it to someone who understands that this position is paid for by public funds and they are therefore meant to serve the community and not act outside of reasonable accountability.

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